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Hundreds of TD Garden workers to vote on whether to authorize a strike
Employees responsible for serving food, selling clothing, and taking care of VIP guests will vote Sunday on whether to authorize a strike.
More than 600 TD Garden concession workers will vote this week to decide whether to authorize a strike, their union said in a social media post on Wednesday.
United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1145, the collective bargaining organization for TD Garden concession workers, said the vote will happen Dec. 15. If the union votes to authorize a strike, that means they give themselves the authority to strike if negotiations fail. It does not guarantee a strike will happen.
In the statement, the union said they are asking for higher commission rates, “protection from automation,” job loss prevention, better safety protections, and strong retirement benefits.
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The union claimed TD Garden management said they could not afford increased commission rates, which have been “frozen for years.”
“As the overall cost of living has increased across the Boston area, workers are seeking to achieve strong increases in commission rates to set a standard for the industry,” the statement said.
In addition, UFCW Local 1145 said members seek job protection as TD Garden introduces “artificial intelligence” and technology-powered concession stands into the stadium.
TD Garden did not immediately reply to a request for comment Wednesday night. A spokesperson for Delaware North, the company that owns TD Garden, said in a statement to The Boston Globe they are “fully committed to negotiating in good faith with the United Food and Commercial Workers to reach a fair agreement for our team members while upholding our exceptional service standards and avoiding event interruption at TD Garden.”
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