 |
|
Ralph
Body says he was fired for being too nice. Photo: Angel Chevrestt
|
Ralph
Body was booted from a luxe Long Island City apartment building — for being too
accommodating to its well-heeled tenants, he told The New York Post.
Body,
41, said he “gave his life” to the glimmering Queens tower called 27 on 27th
ever since it opened two years ago a few blocks from the East River. He
didn’t just hold the door. He did anything and everything residents asked him
to do — check on pets, clean litter boxes, water plants, hold packages, even
show US$4,200 apartments to new tenants if need be, he said.
New York Post report continues:
“Everything
I did, somebody asked me to do, or there was a need for it,” Body said.
But
the door suddenly slammed shut on the collegial “Melrose Place”-like atmosphere
last Sunday, when the staffing company that placed him at the posh building
told him “upper management” wanted him out, he said.
“They
said, ‘We know you did it for the right reasons, but unfortunately . . . you’re
too nice to the tenants.’”
He
tried to plead his case: “I told them, ‘When the tenants ask me to do
something, I’m going to say yes.’
“But
they said, ‘You do things for them which you shouldn’t be doing. And unfortunately,
in this case, nice guys finish last,’ ” he continued.
Body
said he was “shocked” at being shown the door — and so were tenants who are now
rallying to bring him back.
“Going
above and beyond your work duties shouldn’t be punished — it should be praised,”
reads a petition to reinstate Body. “We stand with Ralph.”
It
goes on: “Most tenants . . . can attest to Ralph’s kindness and eagerness to
make people feel safe and welcome. In a transient city where most people are
from other states and countries, 27 on 27th was a unique building that truly
felt like ‘home’ from the moment you stepped through the front doors.”
Residents
told The New York Post that Body was one of the main reasons they chose to live at the
27-story building, which boasts dazzling views of Manhattan, a yoga room, gym
and game and film rooms — but competes with similarly outfitted towers rising
in Queens.
“Ralph
made this different than other luxury buildings,” said the tenant who started
the petition, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution from
building management Heatherwood Communities.
A
paper petition that the petition organizer left in the lobby mysteriously
disappeared the next day, the tenant noted. “I would definitely have to think
twice about my [lease] renewal now,” the resident said.
Tenants
blamed Heatherwood for Body’s removal — not staffing company PBS Facility
Services, which Body said has promised to find him work at a different
building.
But
for now, the only door he’s opening is to his apartment in the West Village.
“They said I have to sit tight and wait,” Body said.
In
an e-mail to tenants obtained by The Post, Heatherwood says there has been
“misinformation” about Body’s removal.
“It
was recently brought to our attention that Ralph did not follow PBS’s policies
and procedures and after being spoken to several times, it was their decision
to reassign him to another building,” the letter reads.
But
residents aren’t buying it.
“Heatherwood
wants impartial professionalism,” said tenant Dr. Michael Dardano. “I don’t want
to live in an environment like that — where there are robots at the front
desk.”
Heatherwood refused to
comment. |
|
Body
worked as a doorman at the luxury building 27 on 27th in Queens.Photo: Angel
Chevrestt
|
No comments:
Post a Comment