BOSTON – Hotel workers went on strike in Boston Thursday morning for a third time this month.
Boston hotel strikes
This time, workers at the Omni Parker House, Omni Boston Seaport, Renaissance Boston Seaport, and Westin Boston Seaport walked off the job at 7 a.m. Thursday.
CBS Boston via Levan Reid
The union that represents them, UNITE HERE Local 26, said this will be the third three-day strike at four different hotels in Boston this month. The hotels have remained open, but services may be limited.
Room attendants, front desk agents, banquet workers, cooks and dishwashers are among the hundreds of union members looking for more money, automatic daily room cleaning and the return of jobs cut during the pandemic. Many say they’ve been forced to work more than one job to feed their families.
“I have two jobs, I wake up and rush into one and then maybe have a small lunch and then be gone for the next day,” said Omni Parker House worker Yuri Yep. “I don’t even see my kids. So this is ridiculous, this is no way to live.”
“The situation is very hard now, everything is expensive and the company doesn’t want to do anything,” hotel worker Sandra Guzman told WBZ-TV.
The first strike was back on Labor Day weekend when workers at the Hilton Park Plaza, Hilton Logan Airport, Fairmount Copley Plaza and Hilton-Hampton Inn Boston Seaport walked out for three days, joining thousands of other hotel workers across the U.S.
The second wave involved union members at the Newbury Hotel, W Boston, Moxy Boston Downtown and the Dagny Boston last week.
Boston Hotels response
Omni Hotels told WBZ they “won’t comment on the status of the negotiations except to say that we remain committed to bargaining in good faith to reach a contract agreeable to all parties.”
“Unfortunately, as has occurred recently in other markets, the union has determined that a strike is in its interest,” the company said in a statement Thursday.
“The Renaissance Boston Seaport Hotel remains open, and we have well-established protocols in place to operate our property and take care of our guests in the event of any impact to staffing. We remain available to continue to negotiate a fair contract,” Marriott said in a statement.
There has been no comment yet from the Westin Boston Seaport District.
In statements to CBS News earlier this month, representatives from Hyatt and Hilton both said they look forward to continuing negotiations with the union workers.
“It’s infuriating”
“We have been bargaining with the hotel companies since April. From day one, the Union has been transparent about our demands – we need livable wages, fair scheduling, and safe workloads. But the hotels have continued to disrespect us by offering crumbs. It’s infuriating,” union president Carlos Aramayo said in a statement Thursday.
“These hotels would not be profitable without their employees, who have the skills, experience, and dedication to provide hospitality to guests at the highest level. That’s why workers are on strike: to make the hotels respect their work and pay them what they deserve.”
