Cleaners at NYC Office Buildings Set Strike Vote

The union that represents cleaning staff at more than 1,500 New York City office buildings is set to vote on whether to authorize a strike.

Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union will vote Thursday on whether to grant its bargaining committee the authority to call a strike. The current contract expires Dec. 31.

The union says it will not accept management's proposal for a two-tier wage structure that would pay new hires less than existing workers.

A management group says New York City's building workers are the highest-paid in the country.

The Realty Advisory Board on Labor Relations says the workers earn an average salary of $47,107. The realty board says the total cost per employee including benefits is $76,721.

The last office cleaners' strike was in 1996.