Union hotel workers are demanding a new contract, spending Thursday on the picket line.
There are more than a thousand Boston hotel workers on strike as a third wave of employees from four hotels walked off the job Thursday morning in the biggest show of protest so far.
The hotel workers -- from Omni Parker House, Omni Boston Seaport, Renaissance Boston Seaport, and Westin Boston Seaport -- are fighting for a new contract with what they say are reasonable workloads, fair schedules and substantial wage increases, according to their union, UNITE HERE Local 26. The hotels have previously said they are committed to a fair and reasonable resolution.
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"We have been bargaining with the hotel companies since April. From day one, the Union has been transparent about our demands – we need livable wages, fair scheduling, and safe workloads. But the hotels have continued to disrespect us by offering crumbs. It’s infuriating," Carlos Aramayo, President of UNITE HERE Local 26, said in a press release. "These hotels would not be profitable without their employees, who have the skills, experience, and dedication to provide hospitality to guests at the highest level. That’s why workers are on strike: to make the hotels respect their work and pay them what they deserve.”
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The famous Omni Parker House was founded in the 1850s and is the longest continuously operating hotel in the country. Its employees had never gone on strike before today.
UNITE HERE Local 26 members in Boston say they would prefer not to go on strike, but feel they have no choice given the lack of meaningful progress in current contract negotiations.
“This is the thing, this company is running with far less employees than they did before COVID and the profits are way higher,” said Yuri Yeb, a server at Omni Parker House who says it's only fair that workers get their fair share. "We're barely making ends meet right now. We are trying to get by, we are barely making rent. We are asking for an ability to provide for our families.
“No one that has been on strike before wants to go on strike but we have to come out here and support our brothers and sisters,” Yeb explained.
“I am on strike because I need a raise, and the hotel refuses to give us what we’re asking for,” said Kaba Kamara, a Houseperson at the Omni Boston Seaport Hotel who has worked there since the hotel opened in 2021. “It is always busy. I work full-time here, and sometimes I do overtime. But I still had to get a second job so that I can pay my mortgage and other monthly bills. My schedule is crazy – I don’t have enough time to spend with my family, with my 10-year-old daughter. I believe that one job should be enough!”
The two sides have been negotiating since April, but their previous contract expired on Aug. 31, setting off the first wave of strikes in the city over Labor Day weekend.
Aramayo says while they have been in ongoing negotiations , they have not reached an agreement with any hotel yet.
“We sat down to bargain with Omni on Tuesday, we sat for 10 hours in a room. They had no proposal for us after 10 hours," he said. "That’s a very strong example of why we have such strong participation in the strikes again.”
"They’re offering us pennies, nickels and dimes, but we want dollars,” he added.
To date, approximately 2,500 hotel workers from 12 Boston properties have walked off the job in three waves of three-day strikes, according to the workers union. This includes employees of the Hilton Park Plaza, Hilton Boston Logan Airport, Hampton Inn & Homewood Suites at the Hilton Seaport, Fairmont Copley Plaza, The Dagny Boston, Moxy Boston Downtown, The Newbury Boston, and the W Boston.
NBC10 Boston reached out to all of the hotels represented by workers in this third strike, but only the Omni responded, saying, "Out of respect for all parties, Omni won't comment on the status of the negotiations except to say that we remain committed to bargaining in good faith to reach a contract agreeable to all parties. Unfortunately, as has occurred recently in other markets, the union has determined that a strike is in its interest. In view of this labor action, the Hotel has put in place plans to ensure services are not interrupted and that our guests will continue to experience the genuine hospitality, personalized service and elevated experiences that are the hallmark of the Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport and Omni Parker House."
This isn't just a Boston issue, however. Nationally, thousands of hotel workers with the UNITE HERE union have authorized strikes at Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, and Omni hotel properties that are locked in unresolved contract negotiations.
According to the union, strikes have been authorized in 13 cities across the U.S., including Baltimore, Boston, Honolulu, Greenwich, Kauai, New Haven, Oakland, Providence, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, and Seattle.
