Union hotel workers on strike with no end in sight
By Laina Gustafson
Over 600 hotel workers filled the streets of Boston on Sunday, in an ongoing strike for higher wages and better working conditions.The strike was organized by UNITE HERE Local 26, joining a nationwide hospitality worker union movement that began this summer.
While the majority of Sunday’s striking workers were from Hilton-owned hotels, Park Plaza and Logan Airport, UNITE HERE Local 26’s demands an agreement from Hilton, Marriott, and Omni companies. The union had been bargaining for a new contract standard since April, with the first wave of worker strikes beginning over Labor Day Weekend.
The union gave the hotel conglomerates a deadline of Oct. 4 to answer their contract requests. When an agreement wasn’t reached by then, hotel staff set up 24 hour picket lines and marches.
“Hotel workers are fed up with the disrespect from an industry that is netting billions in profits off their labor,” said President Carlos Aramayo of UNITE HERE Local 26 in a statement. He said the workers faced a tough decision to go on strike, as they would be greatly hurt by the loss of wages.
A spokesperson for Hilton said that while “we do not believe the union’s decision to strike is in the best interests of our Team Members, we respect their right to do so in a peaceful and lawful manner.”
Negotiations continue between the union and Hilton, but striking workers say that Hilton’s current benefits are insufficient against rising cost-of-living expenses. Many union members attest that they are forced to work multiple jobs just to pay for rent and food.
Hilton said that their workers are among the highest-paid in Boston’s hospitality industry, and receive regular pay increases, health insurance, vacation time, paid holidays, and a pension.
“While we disagree with many of the union’s current demands, we trust that we share the same goal, which is to negotiate toward a fair and reasonable agreement,” the spokesperson said.
UNITE HERE Local 26’s strike comes after a series of hotel worker strikes in Greenwich and New Haven, Connecticut, and Providence, Rhode Island last week. These authorized strikes ended in new contracts with wage increases and affordable health care.
Both union strikers and Hilton operators look ahead with uncertainty to the coming weeks, which will see a large influx of hotel guests due to the Charles River Regatta and “parent weekends” at surrounding colleges.
Members of Sunday’s strike said they will continue to picket until an agreement is reached. They urge guests to join them in boycotting Hilton institutions, which Boston.com reported to be currently operating on “skeleton staff.”