Fixing elevators has become increasingly difficult in the New York City region, as the area's largest elevator companies have locked out their unionized mechanics. A dispute regarding wage increases triggered the lockout, which began in March and has continued into the summer. Three companies, comprising 40 percent of the region's elevators, locked out their 1,200 employees, leaving building managers and tenants anxious about the effects of the lockout on service.
See "Elevator Work Is Slowed by Lockout of Mechanics", Robin Stein, The New York Times, May 22, 2005