BOSTON — Nearly 900 hotel workers in Boston went on strike Sunday morning.
Who’s on strike?
The workers — including chambermaids, front desk clerks, banquet staff, cooks and dishwashers — walked off the job Sunday morning at four hotels: the Hilton Park Plaza, Fairmont Copley Plaza, Hilton Logan Airport and Hilton-Hampton Inn Boston Seaport.
CBS Boston
Why are workers striking?
The Unite Here Union, Local 26, represents hospitality workers in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The union said it is protesting what it calls heavy workloads and wages that don’t cover the cost of living. The strike comes after months of contract negotiations. The hotel workers’ previous contract expired Saturday.
The union said many workers have multiple jobs and that hotels have used the COVID-19 pandemic to lay off staff, causing workers to lose income and increasing the workload of remaining staff.
“Hotel workers are fighting for their economic lives,” said Carlos Aramayo, president of UNITE HERE Local 26. “The hotel industry makes huge profits, but wages are simply not enough to support our families. With service and staff cuts, hotel jobs are more painful than ever and we don’t want hotels to become the next airline industry, where guests pay more and get less while workers get left behind. Workers are fed up with hotels and we’re striking to make them pay.”
Boston City Councilman Ed Flynn supported the workers on X, formerly Twitter, saying the strike was about supporting working families and building a strong middle class.
The hotels have not issued a statement about the strike.
