NYC Doormen May Strike April 21

(Yahoo/AP) — They collect the laundry and the mail, baby-sit, call 911 and, of course, open doors.

As ubiquitous on New York City sidewalks as yellow taxicabs on the streets, doormen are security guards, bellhops, personal assistants and neighbors to the thousands of New Yorkers who brush past them on their way to upscale high-rise homes.

“We rely on them for everything,” said Donna Saunders of Midtown Manhattan. “They make life easier.”

But the groceries and packages may pile up on Saunders’ door later this month when an April 21 deadline passes for some 30,000 doormen and other building workers. Their union authorized a walkout last week if a four-year contract agreement can’t be reached by then.

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