Doorman sacked for being ‘too nice’ to tenants

Ralph Body says he was fired from a luxury New York apartment building for being too accommodating to its well-heeled tenants. 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 in Long Island City. 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 $4,200 apartments to new tenants if need be, he said. “Everything I did, somebody asked me to do, or there was a need for it,” Body said.

But last Sunday, 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 continues: “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 say that Body was one of the main reasons they chose to live at the 27-storey 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. “They said I have to sit tight and wait,” Body said. 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.” But residents aren’t convinced. “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.”