The collective bargaining agreement between Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union and the Realty Advisory Board on Labor Relations, Inc. ("RAB"), covering many landlords, building cleaning and contractors, managing agents, and the like will expire at midnight on December 31, 2011. This contract includes most Class A commercial buildings in the five boroughs of New York City, as well as many other commercial properties in the Metropolitan area. Also expiring at that time are contracts for buildings in the Hudson Valley (including Westchester County), parts of New Jersey (such as the Jersey City Gold Coast), and Fairfield County, Connecticut (including Stamford and Greenwich).

Although bargaining continues between the RAB and Local 32BJ, the union has taken strike votes and said it will strike if there is no agreement by December 31, 2011. Such a strike would affect not only building services, such as cleaning and building maintenance, but also many other building operations personnel, such as security desk employees, elevator operators, and other classifications. A strike may also disrupt deliveries to tenants, as well as construction and maintenance work, if employees of delivery companies, building contractors, and electrical, telecommunications, and other personnel refuse to cross picket lines. In some cases, operations could be directly affected if an employer's employees refuse to cross the picket lines. Building tenants that do not have contracts with Local 32BJ or have union-represented workforces would also be affected if the building service workers were to strike.