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Grand Central Terminal’s tenants are staging a rent strike. Some 20 retailers located in the posh Manhattan train station fired off coordinated e-mails to their Metropolitan Transportation Authority landlord on Thursday, informing the transportation agency that they can’t pay their April rent. The uprising — in the form of boilerplate e-mails — is being backed …
Grand Central Terminal’s tenants are staging a rent strike.
Some 20 retailers located in the posh Manhattan train station fired off coordinated e-mails to their Metropolitan Transportation Authority landlord on Thursday, informing the transportation agency that they can’t pay their April rent.
The uprising — in the form of boilerplate e-mails — is being backed by politicians like New York Sen. Brad Hoylman, whose district includes Grand Central.
“Their plight is the same as any other small business with the exception that their landlord is a state authority,” Hoylman told The Post. “So I’m hopeful that the MTA will be fair to these struggling small businesses and set a standard for the private sector.”
The cash-strapped MTA has also lost money to the pandemic, which has ridership on subways down 87 percent. But Hoylman argues that the state agency is “still in a better position” to help.
“We understand the tremendous challenges facing these businesses during this public health crisis, and urge the federal government to swiftly provide relief and assistance,” MTA head of communications, Abbey Collins, said in a statement.
Sales have fallen by as much as 90 percent, said Li-lac Chocolates owner Chris Taylor.
“We sold $2,000 worth of chocolate last week and my payroll was $1,500,” Taylor told The Post. “As long as I can exceed my costs, I’ll keep the business open for my employees.”
“We pride ourselves on being good corporate citizens and reliable tenants who pay their bills promptly. It is therefore with much sadness that we are unable to make our April rent payment,” according to the coordinated e-mails to MTA director of real estate David Florio.
“We want to work together with you and all our stakeholders so that we can emerge from this difficult situation,” the e-mails said.
As The Post reported, the MTA angered its Grand Central restaurant tenants by shooting them a letter reminding them to pay their rent less than 24 hours after they were ordered shuttered by Gov. Cuomo, who’s office controls the MTA.
