Hundreds of hotel workers celebrated Sunday after ratifying their new contracts with the Omni Hotels in Boston.
This agreement ended their five-day strike outside the Omni Parker House and Omni Seaport Hotels.
Their union, UNITE HERE Local 26, says Omni agreed to their biggest demands.
“This contract guarantees our benefits, it improves our pension, it guarantees our healthcare, this contract also includes top of the class job security to protect these jobs that will now allow people to live in the city of Boston,” said Carlos Aramayo, president of UNITE HERE Local 26.
Aramayo says these hotel and hospitality workers will now get an increase of ten dollars an hour over the next four years.
“These increases are life-changing,” said Isaac Smith-Kawah, who works as a line cook at Omni Seaport. “I’m 26 years old, the idea of home ownership is not just a dream anymore.”
Now he says he and his coworkers can live more comfortably with one job.
“We haven’t had a raise since 2018 at most of the hotels, so you know, it’s just not keeping up with inflation, almost all my coworkers need a second job, if not then everyone’s working as much overtime as they can,” said Smith-Kawah.
“It sets a precedent that working people if they focus, if working people focus on a goal and they fight hard for it and they don’t back down they can win and we won!” said Aramayo.
These hotel workers now hope their contract with Omni Hotels sets an example for the other hotels, like the two Hilton hotels in Boston, where workers will continue their strike.
“You know it puts the fire under the other hotels to really step up get this done,” said Smith-Kawah.
Now that this new contract is ratified, Omni hotel workers will return to work starting at 4 a.m. Monday.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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