**Boston Hotel Workers Strike Amid Contract Dispute, Vow to Stay on Picket Line Until Agreement is Reached**
Hundreds of workers from two prominent downtown Boston hotels have joined an ongoing strike as part of a contract dispute. On Monday, UNITE HERE Local 26 announced that 685 workers from the Omni Parker House and Omni Boston Seaport hotels would walk off the job, joining 600 employees already striking at the Hilton Boston Logan Airport and the Hilton Boston Park Plaza.
According to the union, picket lines will be staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, until an agreement is reached with Omni Hotels & Resorts. Workers at the Omni properties previously staged a three-day walkout in September but have now committed to staying off the job indefinitely.
Negotiations between the union and hotel management began in April, with workers seeking wage increases that reflect Boston’s high cost of living, improved benefits, a pension plan, measures to prevent workplace injuries, and the reversal of staffing cuts made during the pandemic.
The first wave of strikes began over Labor Day weekend, affecting Boston and eight other cities. UNITE HERE Local 26 had set a deadline of October 4 for major hotel chains, including Hilton, Marriott, and Omni, to reach an agreement before launching indefinite strikes.
The striking workers include a wide range of hotel staff, such as room attendants, housepersons, front desk agents, telephone operators, doorpersons, bellhops, cooks, dishwashers, banquet staff, and barbacks. Their previous contract expired on August 31.
The Omni Boston Seaport Hotel, with over 1,000 rooms, is the largest hotel in Boston, while the Omni Parker House, founded in the 1850s, is the longest continuously operating hotel in the United States. According to the union, this is the first time the Omni Parker House has experienced a strike by its employees.
The U.S. hotel industry employs approximately 1.9 million people, a number that is still 196,000 workers short of pre-pandemic levels, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nearly 90% of housekeepers in the industry are women, based on federal data.
UNITE HERE Local 26 is hoping to replicate its recent success in Southern California, where repeated strikes led to significant wage increases, enhanced pension contributions, and fair workload guarantees in a new contract with 34 hotels. Under that agreement, housekeepers at most hotels will earn $35 an hour by July 2027.
Meanwhile, the American Hotel and Lodging Association reports that 80% of its member hotels are experiencing staffing shortages, with housekeeping being the most critical area of need for 50% of those hotels.
Source: wcvb.com