For the second time this month, hundreds of Boston hotel workers went on strike Thursday morning to protest what they say are arduous workloads and wages that aren't enough to afford the cost of living in the city.
UNITE HERE Local 26 says more than 400 hotel workers including room attendants, housepersons, front desk agents, doorpersons, bellpersons, cooks, dishwashers, banquet servers, engineers and others from Moxy Boston Downtown, The Newbury Boston, W Boston Hotel, and The Dagny.
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“I’m on strike because I need higher wages to pay my bills and support my daughters through college. It’s also really important that I maintain my health insurance and make sure I have a pension that will enable me to retire with dignity,” Alicia Cacho, a front desk agent at The Newbury Boston for 12 years, said in a press release. “Going on strike is a difficult thing to do, but I’m thinking about my family’s future in the long term. The hotel owners know how hard we work and how expensive it is to live in Boston. We know our worth, and we’re willing to do whatever it takes to win the raises, benefits, and job security that we deserve!”
“I want to serve my guests, obviously I miss being in there giving them that good experience and we want for them," Shea Stillman, a front desk agent at the Newbury Boston, told NBC10 Boston. "But this has to take precedence.”
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This is the second wave of union hotel workers to strike in Boston and comes after 900+ walked off the job for three days during Labor Day weekend at Hilton Park Plaza, Hilton Boston Logan Airport, Hampton Inn & Homewood Suites at the Hilton Seaport, and Fairmont Copley Plaza after their previous contract expired on Aug. 31.
Union president Carlos Aramayo says this second wave of strikes is happening because the first 3-day strike about two weeks ago fell on deaf ears.
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“Nobody here wants to be on strike, but these folks are going to do what it takes to get a fair contract,” Aramayo said.
According to the union, over 10,000 hotel workers from 24 properties in nine cities went on strike on Sept. 1. Most of those employees have since returned to work.
According to Aramayo, for months they've been asking for a salary to match the cost of living in Boston, for fair workloads, and for the reversal of what they call COVID-era cuts.
"Everyone is talking about post COVID versus during COVID and we are still seeing a lot of those setbacks, a lot of those decisions about cutting staff and then never bringing them back," Stillman explained. "So it’s just an insane workload to ask of people who again can’t afford to live in the city.”
“In this past month I’ve moved closer to work which means I am much closer to Boston and it’s crazy expensive,” Stillman added. "We are good enough work in Boston, we are good enough to work at a luxury hotel in Boston but we are not good enough to live here.”
Aramayo said in a press release Thursday that the union and hotel companies remain far apart on strike issues including raises, workloads, and COVID-era cuts.
"Without a significant wage increase, many hotel workers simply cannot afford to live in Boston, the city that they welcome guests to. Our members shouldn’t have to work more than one job," Aramayo said. "We’re asking the hotels to hire and schedule more staff because strenuous workloads are breaking workers’ bodies. The travel industry is booming in Boston, and it’s unacceptable for hotel companies to boost profits by cutting their offerings to guests and abandoning their responsibility to workers.”
The union is warning travelers about the ongoing labor disputes in Boston, saying negotiations are continuing at this point but strike issues have not been resolved.
Like the first strike, this protest is expected to last a total of three days, but union leaders tell NBC10 Boston that they will keep authorizing these strikes until their demands are met.
"More strikes are possible at any time should issues remain unresolved," the union's press release warned.
