Bistricer to lock out Flatbush Gardens workers until they accept pay cuts

Just in time for the holidays, landlord David Bistricer is planning to lock workers out of Flatbush Gardens next week after they refused to accept his proposed pay cuts, according to the Daily News. Bistricer, who has been under fire in recent months after landing on Public Advocate Bill de Blasio’s slumlords watch list for code violations at the 59-building complex, wants to slash wages and benefits by roughly a third. That would mean that a handyman currently making $21.37 per hour would have to make due with $14. Bistricer has been battling with the building workers’ union for months over the plan, but the two sides have yet to reach an agreement. Local 32BJ SEIU called the pay cuts “outrageous,” while Bistricer’s Renaissance Equity Holdings released a statement saying that “the owners would like to arrive at a fair and equitable agreement that will provide services at a reasonable cost to Flatbush Gardens, in what is a very challenging economic climate.” [NYDN]