Always Ready With a Helping Hand

Phil Hartman is known for going the extra mile with the elderly and disabled. For the last 20 years, Phil has worked as a parking attendant in Co-op City, where residents and visitors know him for his warm smile, cheerful disposition and great sense of humor. Considered one of the family, Phil is not just a real helping hand at work. Over the years, Phil has also taught the art of spin bowling to hundreds of children, including his 12-year-old son, who made it to the state finals this year.

On the Lookout to Protect Our Public Servants

Gladys Rivera started out as a super in Manhattan, where she spent a decade watching out and caring for the residents of the building. After 10 years, she decided that she wanted a change. “Being a super and a security officer are very similar,” Gladys said. “Both of them require that you be aware of your surroundings.”
The native Puerto Rican took classes to be a security guard and has spent the last six years walking the beat and protecting one of the Department of Transportation buildings. For that, she receives the Building Service Workers of the Year award for best security officer at a public or city building. Gladys has three children and two grandchildren. “I love my job,” she said.

(Editor’s Note: The following are two profiles that we weren’t able to include in our 2012 Building Workers of the Year section that ran last week.)

By Dan Rosenblum

Victor Reyes is used to seeing strange things during the “Dracula shift,” which is what he calls the overnight hours he works as a security guard on the George Washington Bridge.

During the day, bikers cross the span and walkers stroll to take in the Hudson River, but the night scene is different. Through the darkness, Reyes, 33, patrols the span of the bridge, on shifts often fueled by coffee and energy drinks. People who don’t know that the walkway closes at midnight insist on crossing the bridge, and some walk erratically after hours spent drinking at bars.

Occasionally some, like the man Reyes spotted after 1 a.m. on a warm Father’s Day, seem intent on jumping 212 feet into the water below.

Reyes called a partner for help and approached the man on the north side of the bridge. He noticed the man seemed drunk and said he didn’t want to live. Reyes said the man was distraught about an incident with his 5-year-old son.

“At first, I knew I was scared,” he said. “I gotta admit that, because you’re on top of the bridge, you never know what’s going to happen. You’re by yourself.”

Reyes talked to the man and sprung to hold him down. He called that “the three longest seconds of my life.” Police arrived soon after and took the man away.

Reyes, one of eight evening guards who keep watch, is a silent guardian of the span. Since the 4,700-foot-long landmark opened in 1931, it has been a magnet for suicide attempts and potential terrorist attacks. The most notable recent story was in 2010 when Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi jumped off the bridge.

Reyes works for FJC Security, a contractor that manages security for several Port Authority sites, including Newark Liberty International Airport and the World Trade Center. Because of recent security fiascos, the Authority is seeking to replace the company, but Reyes said they’re a sharp-eyed team protecting people on the bridge.

“People say that we might not do anything, but we do our job,” he said.

There are plenty of challenges. Rats scurry across the lower level of the Manhattan side and strong gusts come down the Hudson River Valley, stealing away umbrellas on rainy days and adding a chill.

“Even in the summertime, you have to wear something light, like a windbreaker, because it gets windy,” he said.

And there’s something else: Reyes, now six months into bridge duty, is scared of heights.

“So when I work at the bridge, I try not to look down,” he said.

Reyes was born in Mexico and moved to Union City, N.J., in the late 1980s. He got experience working as security at the Hudson County Courthouse in Jersey City and at a local 911 communications center.

The importance of his work and the front-row seat for the morning sunrise keeps him focused and sharp-eyed. On stopping the suicide attempt, Reyes said he wasn’t a hero, he was just doing his job and was fortunate he had the strength to keep the man—and himself—atop the bridge.

“Luckily, it went well,” he said. “We both survived. That’s a good thing.”

On nights when Reyes isn’t on the bridge, he’s at home with his wife, Veronica, and two kids, James, 7, and 17-month-old daughter, Camila. The hours let him see his children during the afternoons and before school. And the tattooed family man is saving up to get his kids’ faces on his arm.

That Father’s Day morning when Reyes got back home, James handed him a gift to match the other bright drawings decorating his apartment: a newly drawn picture of the George Washington Bridge.

By Alicia Bynum

New York can be fast-paced and brutal, but those who work at Madison Square Garden know they have a friend they can turn to in Danford Adams, a cleaner at the famous arena. Among his co-workers, Adams is known for having a friendly ear.

“People look for me when they seek advice,” Adams said. He has spent 12 years working at Madison Square Garden, where he has cleaned up after eager fans of live concerts and a plethora of other events that take place there. It’s a job that he takes pride in.

Adams grew up in a family of six children in Brooklyn and had to overcome several challenges to help provide for his family.

“Hard work and determination is how I chose to live my life,” Adams said. Previously, he worked at KeySpan Park as a part-time restroom attendant, but when it came time to help put his daughter Michelle through college, he knew that he would need another job. With the help of a friend, he put in an application at Madison Square Garden, went for an interview and was hired. He said that his formula for success is a simple one: He shows up on time every day and is respectful to the customers and the other people he works with.
When he’s not at work, Adams’ second passion in life is automobiles. He spends any opportunity he gets working on cars, having had a natural curiosity about automobiles as far back as his teenage years. He said that tinkering on cars is a good way to relax. Whenever there is a car show in the city, he is always present. His other hobbies include hanging out with friends and playing the occasional game of chess.

Being a stadium cleaner is a hectic life, he said, but “there is no other place I would rather be working.” Madison Square Garden hosts 320 events a year, and Adams has pretty much seen it all. Whether it’s a concert, basketball game, hockey game, rodeo or dog show, he gets to interact with fascinating people and also his co-workers, whom he considers part of the family.

By Alex Mikoulianitch

This Bronx-born window washer has a one-of-a-kind view of Manhattan from the top of some of the highest buildings in the city.

Edward Nieves, 43, dropped out of Theodore Roosevelt High School during his sophomore year and never had plans to go to college. His family situation forced him to look for work immediately and to start supporting the family.

“My mother had six kids, and of course I was the one helping with the bills,” Nieves said. He himself is now a father of two daughters.

A friend of his found him work as a window cleaner, something Nieves has stuck with ever since.

“It started out as a summer job,” Nieves said.

“Then I went back to school, and things were not going good and I decided to keep working. I waited until I was 18 years old and I got into the union.”

Nieves began working at different stores and shops, doing minor work around town. Since then he has moved on to work at Palladium Window Solutions, a New York-based window cleaning company specializing in high-rise buildings.

But Nieves’ schedule isn’t a typical one. Sometimes he finds himself on the job deep into the night or right when the sun rises.

“Sometimes you got to start at 12 in the morning, 3 in the morning, depends on what we got to do,” Nieves said.

And after working as a window cleaner for more than 25 years, Nieves has no plans of changing anything.

“I’m happy,” Nieves said. “I’m very happy. Right now, everything is going the right way.”

Aside from work, Nieves doesn’t really indulge in any hobbies or activities and instead opts to spend more time with his family. They moved to Pennsylvania five years ago.
“Just be with my family, go to the movies, shop with my wife,” Nieves said. “When I lived in the Bronx, I used to go hang out, play dominoes, but now I dedicate time to my family and do what I can.”

Nieves doesn’t see any change in his future, either. Working and keeping a steady job and supporting his family in the best way he can is what’s most important to him.
“It’s just work and just keep on,” Nieves said. “And then, who knows?”

By Alex Mikoulianitch

If a student happened to graduate from Harry S. Truman High School in the Bronx 33 years ago and came back for a visit, they would still find Michael Rosado working away meticulously, fixing up machinery, keeping the fields and being the all-around handyman he is so known for around the school.

Born and raised near Prospect Park in Brooklyn, Rosado recalls the hardships of growing up. Rosado’s father, who Rosado says knew six languages including French, Italian, Spanish and Filipino, died when Rosado was 16, leaving his mother to take care of the family.

“She had to take up the mother and the father load,” Rosado said. “That was kind of tough on her because she had to cook, check our homework, make sure we got the right education.”

Rosado’s original plan was to serve in the military after he graduated from high school, but a proposition from a friend to go work and help out the family changed those plans completely.

“A friend who worked at a school across from Truman High School offered me a summer job,” Rosado said. “I went there and—I was 20 at the time—I worked there for the summer.” Eventually, he says, they offered him a permanent job. That kicked off a daily routine that starts at 5:30 in the morning and ends at 4 in the afteroon.

Rosado’s official position is school cleaner, or janitor, but his duties encompass much more than just cleaning.

“If they need me to fix a machine, I’ll fix the machine,” Rosado said. “If they need me to fix a door, I’ll fix the door. If I have to work and go on the fields, I’ll go on the fields. So there isn’t exactly a specific title [for what I do].”

Looking back, he says, “I think the true reason I stayed at Truman High School for 33 years is the family I have there,” Rosado said. “All the workers there, my guys, we all chip in, we do what we got to do, we have a great principal who works with us, we have a family that makes me proud of the guys that I work with.”

When Rosado isn’t working with his guys at the school, he has hobbies to enrich his life in other ways. Rosado’s personal passion is cars. From a young age, he learned to work with cars, fix them and play around with the parts. Even today, a lot of his friends come up to him and ask for his expertise.

“On Sundays I go play basketball with all those guys that are over 50,” Rosado said. “And if it’s not shooting hoops, it’s probably working on a car. Saturday is my relax day, where I try to catch up with my family, and catch up on that lost time during the week.”

Rosado still lives in the Brooklyn neighborhood where he was born, with his wife and kids.

By John Friia

For the past 13 years, people visiting the August Wilson Theatre, located at 245 W. 52nd St., have seen Natividad Nery welcoming patrons and keeping the theater clean. To say that Nery likes to help people would be an understatement. Whether working at the theater or taking the subway and walking around, Nery is never shy of extending a helping hand toward individuals.

“I like to serve the people and make them happy,” Nery clearly stated.

Not only are the patrons of the theater respectful and considerate, but Nery also explained that his co-workers are very caring and appreciative. “We all help each other and look out for one another,” he said.

There have been many people that Nery assisted while working at the theater. One time, he vividly remembers, a mother and daughter came to see a production. The daughter was in a wheelchair and the mother seemed worried and unsure what to do in this situation.

Noticing her concern, Nery felt that he needed to do something and went to speak to the mother. He said to her, “Everything will be OK.” The theater had a chair lift to help disabled people get to their places inside the theater. After everyone was settled, Nery went to speak with the mother and told her, “You must not be nervous around you daughter, because then she will feel uncomfortable.”

He recalled that the mother expressed immense gratitude and thanked him for his understanding.

Around three months ago, while Nery was waiting for the subway he witnessed someone fall onto the tracks while a train was approaching the station. Like always, he quickly went into action and realized what he needed to do. With the help of other onlookers, Nery was able to get the gentleman off of the tracks just in time and saved his life.

“If we waited another 30 seconds, the train would have hit me,” Nery said.

Nery came to America in 1983 and has been married for 25 years. The theater cleaner lives in Staten Island with his wife and mother-in-law. He has five children. One of his sons is enlisted in the military and has been deployed to Iraq three times. He is currently stationed in Hawaii. Nery’s other children live throughout the five boroughs.

He’s grateful to receive a Building Worker of the Year Award.

“Thank you to the people that have nominated me. It is very satisfying and motivates us to do what we do,” he said.

From Guardian Angel to Campus Guard

By John Sodaro

Protecting others is something Robert Olivares, 44, has been doing for most of his adult life. He is now a security officer for Summit Security Services, working on the campus of Columbia University. His outstanding work ethic and performance have earned him this year’s Building Service Workers award for a security officer at a university.

Olivares, who grew up in Brooklyn but now resides in the Bronx, became interested in security work as a young man, when friends persuaded him to join the Guardian Angels, the volunteers whose red jackets and berets have been comforting city residents since the 1970s.

“The Angels also was a way to keep me off the streets,” he said. “It showed me that helping people was really a great thing.”

He’s had a number of security jobs over the years, from the unglamorous—parking garages—to parties and events at some of the city’s most famous venues. His previous job before coming to Columbia four years ago was at Madison Square Garden.

Olivares said he was humbled when he found out he had won the award given by the service union he respects so much, 32BJ.

“Good unions are a huge help for workers like me,” Olivares said. “Union work helped me a couple of times when I lost my job.”

Olivares works night patrols on the Columbia campus and routinely seeks out the darkest, most isolated spots. “It’s very dark in a lot of areas,” he said. “There are a lot of places where trouble seems to happen.”

One night last year, after his shift had ended, Olivares heard a scream coming from one of those dark spots near Riverside Park.

Olivares ran toward the scream. In the shadows, he saw a man grappling with a woman from behind. The man took off running and Olivares gave chase. The suspect disappeared into the park and Olivares notified the police.

“I think he saw the reflection of the shield on my cap,” Olivares said. “I was in the right place that night.”

Even though he never caught up to the suspect that night, Olivares still felt good he was able to stop the crime from happening.

For his actions on that night, Olivares earned one of several citations he has received from his employers for outstanding performance on the job.

Olivares says the awards are a nice confirmation for the work he does, but he gets his real reward from being able to do the work he loves.

“Protecting people, serving people,” he said, “that’s what really matters to me.”

By Erin Brodwin

When he can, Nessim Kohen likes to pause and catch a glimpse of the sunset from the 17th floor of the Citibank building in Long Island City, where he works as an office cleaner from 5 p.m. until midnight.

He also likes the way the sun lights up a floor he has recently polished. “The managers like the floors shiny,” he said with a smile, “but I like them shinier.”

Kohen was recently awarded Best Outer Borough Office Cleaner by his union. In addition to his work, his position as a shop steward allows him to serve as a liaison between the workers in his building and the 70,000 other members of SEIU Local 32BJ.

“This award is like a pat on the back,” Kohen said. “It lets me know I’m on the right track.”

A 48-year-old father of two and political refugee from his home country of Albania, Kohen is a humble achiever. Looking across the Court Square Park plaza where he often takes his breaks, Kohen said, “Work for me is like a hobby. If I don’t do it, I get sick.”

As a carpenter in Albania, Kohen became accustomed to taking on large jobs that would often require more than one person. But he never let the prospect of too much work get him down. “When I finish each day, I am proud of what I do,” he said. “That is all I need to keep going.”

In New York City, Kohen finds balance between family, work and home by treating each day as a new opportunity for something special to happen.

“Work is what brings out my happiness, my nature and my passion,” said Kohen, who is supporting two college-age daughters. The younger one, who is 18 years old, is studying computer science at Brooklyn College. The other is 23 and preparing for a career as an optometrist. Kohen said, “They are my beautiful butterflies. They are the reason I am able to work so hard. I want to elevate them—to sustain them.”

That’s what Kohen, who works for Cushman & Wakefield, thinks about when he is keeping the offices at the Citibank tower in tip-top shape.

The award is nice, he said, but what he really appreciates is the ability to work. “At the end of each day, I have no complaints,” he said.

By Elly Yu

Elzbieta Blizinska says she was born a fighter.

Blizinska, 62, has been cleaning offices at One Penn Plaza near Madison Square Garden for 33 years. When most people leave work for home, she clocks in at 5 p.m. and begins to vacuum, dust and take out the trash for the workers who’ll file in the next morning. Each night, she covers around 40,000 square feet of office space and clocks out at 12:30 a.m., when she then starts her journey back home to Williamsburg.

For the past two years, Blizinska has also been serving as shop steward for the union she belongs to, SEIU 32BJ, which represents building service workers. As a liaison between the union and her co-workers, she trains her fellow office cleaners to recognize their rights as employees and helps them in whatever ways she can.

“I saw the needs in my company to protect people’s rights,” she said.

Many of the people she works with are not native English-speakers. Most recently, when one of her Chinese co-workers was fired, she started a petition that received over 70 signatures, she said. The employee got his job back.

“I’m a troublemaker,” she said, smiling through her green-blue eyes.

Because of her work, Blizinska is being honored with the Building Service Workers of the Year Award for Midtown Office Cleaner.

Blizinska said she has been fighting for what’s right all of her life, despite the odds.

She first came to New York City in 1977 from Poland at the invitation of a friend. She figured she could make some extra money. She had hoped to use her degree in physical therapy and rehabilitation from Poland, but finding a job with a foreign diploma was difficult. She didn’t speak any English, either.

But New York had its heart set on her. She got married and had a son, Jacek.

She got a job at One Penn Plaza as an office cleaner in 1980, but figured it would only be temporary. She would stay just a few years, she told herself, and then would go back to school.

But just as she was ready to leave her job as a cleaner, she became a single mother after a divorce.

“It never works the way you think,” she said.

She decided to stay. By then, she already had seniority at her company, and the union provided a sense of stability in a time when things were turbulent.

As a single mother, Blizinska worked day and night—literally—to ensure her son would go to college. During the day, she worked multiple odd jobs, and at night would clean the offices. But Blizinska has no complaints.

Over the years, she has gotten to know the employees in the building who’ve stayed past 5 p.m.

“I have a very good relationship with my tenants. We’re like family,” she said.

She stuck to her job at One Plaza, knowing she wanted better opportunities for her own family—her son.

“I believe in education and to make it better for the future generations,” Blizinska said.

By Emily Field

Soon after Matt Sanger moved to 518 W. 111th St. with his wife and infant twin daughters, renovations began on the two apartments above their new home. There were fumes and construction noise. German Negron, the building’s superintendent, offered his apartment to the Sanger family for them to use during the day.

“It was a remarkably gracious thing for him to do,” said Sanger, 35, who studies anthropology at Columbia University. “His father was superintendent here before him. He’s remarkably invested in this building and the community as well. It’s not like this is a job; this is a family tradition for him.”

Negron, 55, has been working at 518 W. 111th St. as a superintendent for 26 years. The building is owned by Columbia University and houses faculty and staff, in addition to three student apartments.

“I’ve seen so many kids grow, being born and in their carriages, and then going off to college,” said Negron. “Being here for 26 years, it’s a pretty good accomplishment.”
Negron has received the Building Service Workers of the Year Award for Super of the Year in Manhattan for his work.

As superintendent, Negron is responsible for maintaining the building. His duties include dealing with clogged toilets, leaky ceilings and building maintenance. Tenants can get locked out or stuck in the elevator, which happens about twice a year, he said. Currently Negron takes care of three buildings, and has been filling in as superintendent for one co-worker who passed away Sept. 2.

“The job is a little stressful with the times when they call you at 1 a.m., 2 a.m., when there’s no hot water, no heat, no steam. We’re on call 24/7,” Negron said.

Negron attended Herbert H. Lehman College in the Bronx for two years, but decided to leave school to begin working and support his mother. He worked as an elevator mechanic and installing high-end stereos in cars. His stepfather’s supervisor, who worked at Columbia, recommended that Negron work there. Negron began as a porter at 606 W. 115th St. He took over as superintendent for the building when his father was injured in a fall while cleaning the lobby.

Negron is active in his union, which represents building service workers in New York. He was a shop steward for 18 years, acting as a liaison between Columbia and union members, and served on the grievance board from 2000 to 2006.

Negron has been married to his wife, Emily, since 1988. He has two sons from a previous marriage, Jason, 30, and Jonathan, 29. Their daughter Amanda is studying psychology at William Patterson University in New Jersey, and their younger daughter, Alexis, is a junior in high school.

“My wife is a big part of me. She’s been a big supporter when I’ve had to get out of bed late at night. She’s been a great shoulder, especially when I got custody of my kids,” said Negron. He obtained custody of his sons shortly before he remarried.

“I had the flexibility of being a superintendent, picking them up and dropping them off at school,” said Negron.

One of Negron’s hobbies is working on his classic 1967 Camaro, which he brings to car shows in the summer. He was also a baseball and basketball coach for 15 years.

Negron is also an avid Obama supporter. On his wall, Negron has a framed copy of the front page of the Chicago Sun-Times from the day after Barack Obama was elected president.

“That’s my man! He will win!” he said. Negron has a collection of newspapers from Nov. 5, 2008, including The New York Times, The Daily News and the Columbia Daily Spectator. “I’m keeping these for my grandchildren one day,” he said.