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Boston hotel workers vote to strike
Thousands of hotel workers across Boston and Cambridge hotels are prepared to walk off the job.
Thousands of hotel workers in Boston and Cambridge may soon walk out following a strike authorization vote on Thursday, which 99 percent of voting members approved.
As many as 4,500 hotel workers in Boston and Cambridge could strike as early as Aug. 31, the Unite Here Local 26 hospitality workers union announced.
The Boston Globe reported it would be the first citywide hotel action in modern history if the strike occurs.
Some properties that could be affected are the Omni Boston Hotel in the Seaport, the W Boston, and the Sheraton Boston Hotel. The Globe reports that the work stoppage could involve around two-thirds of the full-service hotel rooms in Boston over 35 properties all at once, or the stoppages could happen individually.
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The strike vote was announced at City Hall Plaza on Thursday evening, where dozens of workers wearing red union shirts were seen chanting in videos on social media, saying, “Make them pay.”
City Council members and Mayor Michelle Wu joined the protestors.
“(The strike vote) shows that you are willing to withhold your labor and sacrifice so you can secure the contract you deserve,” said Wu. “When your back is against the wall, you stand your ground and act with the courage and conviction necessary to build a better life for you and your families.”
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She continued, “Let me make it crystal clear. You are not alone in this fight … The city of Boston is standing with you and we have your back every step of the way.”
As contract expirations loom, Unite Here is leading a nationwide effort for workers demanding higher wages, fair staffing and workloads, and the reversal of COVID-era staffing cuts. Representing over 10,000 hotel workers, the organization will hold votes in nine cities, including Providence, where they are also part of Local 26.
Carlos Aramayo, president of Local 26, said the last time the union negotiated hotel contracts was in 2018, before the pandemic. Since then, hotel occupancy levels have rebounded, but staffing levels have not.
The union says worker hours are down 15% compared to 2019, as jobs go unfilled and hotels use fewer workers per shift, he told the Globe.
The Globe reports that the union is asking for increases to pension benefits and a housing fund, which will provide loans of up to $10,000 to members buying a home. The union also wants to establish funds to assist workers with child and elder care costs and renew the daily room cleaning agreement, requiring rooms to be automatically cleaned daily unless a guest requests otherwise.
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Aramayo told the Globe the industry’s counterproposals have been “insulting,” with lower increases proposed than those agreed to in 2018.
Unite Here Local 26 did not immediately respond to a request for further information on the next steps.
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