A strike is brewing in America’s largest and most cosmopolitan city. Apparently, doormen, porters and concierges are unionized employees and as such, they are planning a strike unless their employers provide a new contract.

On average these doormen earn nearly $40,000 a year. For opening a door? Couldn’t a well-trained monkey do the same thing for a few bananas, or better still…ever heard of an electric eye?

Building owners should dispense with doormen and install automated doors in their buildings, if their tenants lack the wherewithal to open a door for themselves. These doormen, who clearly excelled in their studies during high school and college, are angry, because their employers are proposing cuts in their health care coverage. Perhaps if these doormen had more lofty goals than to open doors for pampered elites then perhaps their predicament would be far more prosperous and rewarding.

If ever there were a ranking of unnecessary jobs in the 21st century, doorman and elevator operator would most certainly be high upon the list.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-04-19-doormen_x.htm