New York (CNN) -- Some 22,000 commercial office cleaners in New York could go on strike once 2012 begins, a union representing them said.
Local 32BJ -- which is part of the larger Service Employees International Union -- notes that the workers' contract with their employers expires at 12:01 a.m. on January 1, 2012.
If there is no agreement, the union has said its members may walk off the job and walk the picket line.
A Friday update, on the union's website, claims that "employers are not budging after two days of intensive bargaining. They want a contract that costs less than our current contract. They insist on permanent cuts for current and future workers.
"We are standing strong and preparing for a strike. We need to keep the pressure on," adds the post on 32BJ's website.
The employer group that the union is negotiating with -- the Realty Advisory Board on Labor Relations -- posted its own status report Friday.
"Progress has been made concerning a number of items, however, the parties remain apart on economic issues," said the group, which represents multiple employers in the New York metropolitan area.
The cleaners work in more than 1,500 office buildings.
Local 32BJ bills itself as the largest private sector union in New York State and has more than 120,000 members nationwide.
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