By Gabriela Resto-Montero
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
UPPER EAST SIDE — The Upper East Side may some role reversals next week as luxury buildings recruit residents to take over doormen duties in preparation for a citywide strike.
Some tenants have been asked to sign up for shifts to supervise their buildings' lobbies, take out their own garbage and sign for their own mail.
The lobby shifts will run for four hours, according to a doorman at 784 Park Ave.
"They're going to have to do a lot of stuff," added Shon Isic, a doorman at 145 E. 74th St. "It's going to be a hard time for tenants."
Delivery services, including groceries from Fresh Direct and other companies, will depend on the restrictions each building will face without workers.
The threatened strike by more than 30,000 apartment workers, including doormen and handymen, could go into effect April 21, when their current contract expires, according to the 32BJ, the union representing the staffers.
Some luxury buildings, like 35 E. 75th St., will require residents to provide photo identification to enter and meet guests in the lobby before they can enter, said a doorman at the address who declined to give his name.
Other buildings will hire security guards to monitor lobbies, but they will not provide concierge services.
In anticipation of the possible strike, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio launched a Web site listing services available to tenants.
"If you're losing service, there are steps you can take to get it back," said Matthew Wing, a spokesman for de Blasio. "You don't need to be caught in the middle."
One of the problems tenants could encounter is garbage accumulation, which happened on street corners during the doorman strike in 1991, Wing said.
Health care coverage and sick days remained the biggest points of contention between the union and the Realty Advisory Board, a group that represents building owners, according to a statement from 32BJ.
Going into the weekend, the union authorized 1,000 strike captains around the city to prepare for a walkout.
