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Striking Omni hotel workers return to work Monday after ratifying ‘historic’ new contract
Hundreds of Hilton hotel workers remain on strike.
After five days of strikes, workers at the Omni Parker House and the Omni Boston Seaport returned to work Monday morning after ratifying a “historic” new contract with Omni Hotels.
Over 600 hotel workers from the two Omni properties have been on strike since Monday, Oct. 14. After the agreement with the workers who are part of the UNITE HERE Local 26 union, picket lines were suspended over the weekend.
According to Lynette Ng, a union spokesman, the new contract will give non-tipped workers a $10 per hour raise over the next four years and tipped workers a $5 per hour raise.
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Ng said Omni also agreed to maintain the workers’ healthcare benefits and improve severance language in the new contract, enhancing job security.
“We’ve made millions for the hotel, and all we asked for is a small piece of the pie,” said James “Smitty” Smith, a banquet server who has worked at the Omni Parker House for 40 years, in a statement. “For me, the most important aspect of this new contract is that everyone will get meaningful raises.”
“I’m glad that Omni came to the table in good faith, and we finally reached an agreement,” Smith continued. “But we’re not done until we’re all done, in Boston and everywhere else.”
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The Omni Hotels did not return a request for comment by publication.
About 600 hotel workers in Boston remain on strike at the Hilton Boston Logan Airport and the Hilton Boston Park Plaza. Workers are picketing outside the hotel entrances 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The workers from Hilton hotels began striking on Oct. 6.
Because union members at Boston properties whose previous contracts expired on Aug. 31 have already authorized a citywide strike, workers from other UNITE HERE Local 26 properties may still go on strike.
Contract victories by members of UNITE HERE hotels were also recently made in Connecticut and Providence.
UNITE HERE Local 26 urges guests not to eat, meet, or sleep at any hotel that is on strike. Hotels may suspend services while trying to operate with skeleton staffing.
UNITE HERE Local 26 represents workers in Massachusetts and Rhode Island hospitality industries.
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