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Posted September 13, 2007(191 replies)
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SANTA CLAUS CAME EARLY!!! Just got a notice from our co-op board: "In response to past complaints about favoritism, and in light of the current recession that has dealt a significant blow to many of our shareholders, the board of directors of (XYZ Building) has implemented a strict "no tipping" policy for the building staff." THANK YOU SANTA!!!
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i think it's actually meanspirited. the building staff are living closer to the edge than you people are.
[ Reply | More ]The building staff are free to find other employment. That's how it works for the rest of us.
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Actually they won't. Whenever the union suggests just that at contract negotiations the Real Estate Advisory Boards completely caves in. So, for those of you who like to complain about your building staff's compensation, just remember it was because the RAB signed the contract. Nobody held a gun to anyone's head. So grow up.
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np- honestly this is not true- our doormen drive up in SUV's and retire far earlier than we do
[ Reply | More ]np. Co-op VP here. If you people only knew how much unionized (and most of them are union) building staff gets paid, you'd change your mind about tipping them. We have shareholders in our building who wish they had jobs like these. With regular overtime (that he works voluntarily), our building super is making six figures. PLUS free health benefits. PLUS a full pension. How many six-figure earners among us can expect "tips"?
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Oh my God, you mean your super has managed to make a good living out of doing his job? Doesn't he know that the natural order of the universe is for him to make less than the people he waits on?
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not tax free. housing is classified as in-kind compensation and taxes are paid on that income. rental value is assigned to the apartment, usually well below market rate - closer to what would be paid if the apartment was rent-stabilized and that value is included in the super's W-2.
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No one is whining. We're just saying doormen don't need our "tips", and I'm glad some buildings are finally doing away with this bullshit.
[ Reply | More ]It is like the mafia. do you think you can just walk in to apply? Do you think that everyone who lives in a coop are millionaires? Oh and sure you must live a whine-free life.
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People will tip anyway. Tomorrow the doorman will get somebody a cab and be handed $50 instead of getting a Christmas card next month.
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op. No, it wasn't mandatory. But there have been problems in the building with favoritism -- staff treating the big tippers better than the rest of us, and even skimping on service for the non-tippers. I'm glad the board addressed this issue. If you can't get by on your salary in our building, find another job, or get a second job.
[ Reply | More ]So what happens if you violate the no tipping policy? They kick you out of your apartment?
[ Reply | More ]Co-op board member from above. It's not the shareholders who violate the policy by giving tips, it's the employees who violate it by ACCEPTING them. And violating the policy will result in immediate termination.
[ Reply | More ]So your employees get fired because some of your residents decide to be decent human beings? Disgusting!
[ Reply | More ]If the shareholders truly believe our staff is underpaid, they are welcome to petition the board to give them all across-the-board raises. If enough shareholders want it, they can even overrule the board in securing those raises. Of course, those raises will come out of everyone's pocket vis-a-vis increases in the monthly maintenance ...
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I would think that a better method would be to have a pool where everyone contributes into it and then each staff member gets 1 tip from the building - based on seniority, tenure, position. A lot of the really large rental buildings that have a stff of 40 people do this. That way the staff gets a tip, but there is no faoritism AND if you can afford say $20 total, then you can give that - whereas if you had to tip each person separately, that'd be like $2/each.
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All the morons flaming you don't live in big doorman buildings in NYC. It's one thing to give a small gift to your doorman, and it's another to be expected to pony up $1000 in cash for your building's "staff" every Christmas or be blacklisted and never have any repairs/whatnot done to your unit. First of all, to those who claim this is a bonus - I pay taxes on my bonus, how about you? Second, my firm pays me my bonus, I do not expect my clients to give me gifts or else I won't do what I'm paid to do for them. Finally, a reasonable Christmas-time gift for the staff would be a plate of cookies or maybe a fruit basket that can be shared.
[ Reply | More ]I love that on UB the unreasonable "bonus" this year is the few hundred bucks the super gets for plunging your shitter.
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OR - I am not in finance. My bonus is a small % of my salary, is fully performance based (if I worked the way most maintenance staff in NYC works, I would NEVER see a bonus) and this year it'll be as fictional as Santa - I'm lucky to have my job. My point still stands - my super is compensated by the landlord, and if the landlord would like to give him a bonus, then s/he should. Maybe it'd be different if I owned my apartment, but I do not. I rent, and expect the super to provide the services on behalf of the landlord set out in my lease. I have the same relationship to my super as my clients do to me. My clients do not give me monetary gifts every season, so I don't see why I should either.
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So you'll give up your BONUS?? Aren't you the same moron who's been arguing that your bonus is your salary?
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It's funny. I;ve lived in doorman buildings my entire life. My parents were not wealthy and never gave huge tips, but they did give everyone something every year. We do the same, and when we were first married and couldn't afford it everyone got $20. Our building staff have always been appreciative, we always get terrific service, etc. So IMO, it's not about the dollars, it's about being decent, showing your appreciation and recognizing that if everyone in a building with say 200 apartments gave even $10, that's a nice $2,000 holiday bonus. There is no need to go overboard.
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good for you op. unionized laborers in co-ops shouldn't get tips, so many buildings have no choice but to work with the union rules and their obscene rates. meanwhile, board members are not compensated for many hours spent managing the building and making sure it doesn't implode financially and structurally.
[ Reply | More ]I think its hilarious that you are happy about it. As if other people are not going to give tips anyway!! We live in a house in Brklyn, but our condo in Miami has a "no tipping" rule, but trust me, we still tip the valet guys every time they park our cars, the pool boys (who bring us extra towels and usually are so helpful with the kids), the doorman, and the security guards who call me whenever I get a delivery (policy is not to call, you have to pick it up) just to let me know. I get them all nice xmas presents too. what are you gonna do? shoot me? ? grow up OP, and suck it up. and remember, this is NYC. $ talks and bullsh&t walks.
[ Reply | More ]What are we going to do? If we find out about it, fire the employees who accepted the tips.
[ Reply | More ]np: You present it as if the staff could not be managed well enough to get them to do their job but somehow you are going to enforce this cheap ass rule. Please.
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oh give me an Fing break. re tips down at our Miami condo - as if we give it to them with prying eyes around!!! someone gets your car, opens the door for them, you discreetly place a couple of bucks in their hand. how does it benefit me? I ALWAYS get my car right away. they clean it for me if its a slow day. I dont go in there and write them a check and photocopy it and put it under the door of every other tenant. I guarantee you most of my neighbors are still tipping too. except cheap idiots like you, and some little old ladies.
[ Reply | More ]This is an awful burden to put on someone in a service profession, IMO. Because most owners will still want to tip, and many will insist vehemently that their tips be accepted. What is the employee supposed to do? Shove the money back in the face of the person that gave it to them? Throw it to the ground? Slip it under the door during the night?
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no, it sucks for OP. again. Our condo down in miami is "stricly no tips." everyone tips except for a$$holes like her, and little old ladies. she needs to grow up. if she cant afford to tip, she shouldnt be living in a full service building to begin with and should find some walkup in the heights.
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No. We make barely 40k. Every doorman with children has at least another part-time job. The real problem is people anxious to move into buildings with a full-time staff who don't have the wherewithal to afford it. Holiday gratuities are a reasonable expectation for those of us who work in building services and to have the rug pulled out from under the staff so close to the holidays is despicable.
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