Title:
New York City's Doormen: The Fight for Respect ( ...too cheesy?)
Outline:
The lobby
Respecting the sign, respecting the job
"old school" vs "new school" respect
The post (respect the space?)
Why you should respect them: Val's stories about tenants
A tenant's story (my story) and different kinds of doormen
Insert any background history
Their story - looming strike
The Union - why is it necessary and why are they striking
Synopsis:
Besides signing your packages and helping you with your bags, a doorman's job is to send you off when you leave and greet you when you return. But what's behind the smile and the wave? The story of why these men feel disrespected and the battle to win it back.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Cultural Artifacts: 2 Notebooks and a Clipboard?
There are two notebooks and a clipboard that never leave the doorman's post at 295 Park Avenue South. All three items are rather ordinary, but they are the first thing each doorman checks when he begins his shift. They are also the first thing the super looks at in the morning.
The two notebooks are black, composition notebooks. They are labeled in red and black: LOG BOOK and REPAIRS. The "repairs" book is filled out by the tenants - indicating any repairs that need to be made within their apartments. The "log book" is filled out by the doorman on duty - updating the other doormen and workers in the building of any significant altercations or happenings that occurred during their shift. It can also be used to leave notes for one another about current or future events - if an apartment plans on having a party, or a guest is staying the weekend, etc.
The clipboard is used to keep track of packages. When a doorman signs for a package, he logs it on the spreadsheet attached to the clipboard. The spreadsheet tells what kind of package was delivered, the delivery service, the date, and the apartment it is addressed to. The last box remains empty until the tenant picks up his package. Then he must sign the spreadsheet signifying that he picked it up. According to Robert, this is so the building can account for each package and ensure that the packages are not stolen or mistakenly given out to the wrong residents.
While these three items seem dull, they establish a simple and easy means of communication throughout the entire building.
The two notebooks are black, composition notebooks. They are labeled in red and black: LOG BOOK and REPAIRS. The "repairs" book is filled out by the tenants - indicating any repairs that need to be made within their apartments. The "log book" is filled out by the doorman on duty - updating the other doormen and workers in the building of any significant altercations or happenings that occurred during their shift. It can also be used to leave notes for one another about current or future events - if an apartment plans on having a party, or a guest is staying the weekend, etc.
The clipboard is used to keep track of packages. When a doorman signs for a package, he logs it on the spreadsheet attached to the clipboard. The spreadsheet tells what kind of package was delivered, the delivery service, the date, and the apartment it is addressed to. The last box remains empty until the tenant picks up his package. Then he must sign the spreadsheet signifying that he picked it up. According to Robert, this is so the building can account for each package and ensure that the packages are not stolen or mistakenly given out to the wrong residents.
While these three items seem dull, they establish a simple and easy means of communication throughout the entire building.
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