[[{“value”:”UNITE HERE Workers Rally After Authorizing Strike Action
By Ben Armadillo
BOSTON – UNITE HERE local 26 launched a second round of strikes today at a new set of hotels, as over 400 Boston hotel workers, including room attendants, housepersons, front desk agents, cooks, and engineers among others, walked off the job at The Newbury Boston, Moxy Boston Downtown, W Boston Hotel, and The Dagny.
The local ended their first multi-day strike on Tuesday September 3rd, which saw almost 900 hotel workers walk off the job on Labor Day Weekend to strike for better wages that keep up with the cost of living, fair staffing and workloads, and protections for work associated with guest services and amenities. The first strike, which targeted prominent Boston hotels including Hilton Boston Park Plaza, the Hilton Boston Logan Airport, and the Fairmont Copley Plaza, came after months of contract negotiations, as the previous contract was set to expire on August 31st.
“I’m on strike because I’m literally tired of working in multiple departments and having an unpredictable weekly schedule just so I can make 40 hours a week,” said Michael Correa, a Barback at the Hilton Boston Logan Airport Hotel for 17 years. “Going on strike is a huge sacrifice, but it’s something I have to do for myself and my two daughters. We told the bosses in our negotiations how hard things are for us right now, but they didn’t care. The hotel only respects power, so it’s time to show them our strength.”
However, these Boston hotel workers are not alone. Over 10,000 UNITE HERE workers in 9 cities across the country, including San Francisco and Seattle, have gone on strike to demand better wages, fair workloads, and reversals of the pandemic-era cuts as well.
UNITE HERE workers at Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, and Omni hotel properties in ongoing contract negotiations in 12 cities across the country, including Boston, Honolulu, Oakland, Providence, San Diego, and San Francisco, have authorized strikes which could begin at any time.
‘Make Them Pay’ – How The Cost Of Living Crisis Drives Workers To Strike
The US hotel industry, like many others in the post pandemic economy, has seen massive profits as a result of these rollbacks on staffing and worker compensation. In 2022 alone, the US hotel industry made over $100 billion in gross profits, and between 2020 and 2023, hotel executives at Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott made $596 million total. Meanwhile, US hotel staffing per occupied bedroom was down 13% from 2019 to 2022 due to the pandemic era cuts remaining in place.
“Hotel workers are fighting for their economic lives,” said Carlos Aramayo, President of UNITE HERE Local 26. “The hotel industry is making massive profits, but wages just aren’t enough to support our families. Service and staffing cuts have made hotel jobs 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 are left behind. Workers are fed up with the hotels, and we’re on strike to make them pay.”
Striking Worker with “Make Them Pay” Sign
UNITE HERE Local 26 Workers on Strike at The Dagny
Here in Boston many have seen first hand how the cost of living has skyrocketed since the pandemic began, and how that has made it extremely difficult for working class families to make ends meet.
“I’m on strike because I need higher wages to pay my bills and support my daughters through college. It’s also really important that I maintain my health insurance and make sure I have a pension that will enable me to retire with dignity,” said Alicia Cacho, a front desk agent at The Newbury Boston for 12 years.
According to a press release from UNITE HERE Local 26, many workers have had to resort to picking up second or even third jobs because their current wage isn’t enough for them to support their families. The union says that hotels took advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic by cutting jobs and suspending guest services that were never restored, causing workers to lose jobs and income, and creating significantly increased workloads for the remaining workers.
“I’m ready to strike because we’re all struggling to pay our monthly bills,” said Susana Coelho, a PBX Operator at the Hilton Boston Logan Airport Hotel for 21 years. “Groceries, even basic items like eggs and pasta, are three times more expensive than before. Many of my co-workers are facing the same problems, and they’re getting ready to strike, too. We’ve been in negotiations for months, but the hotels don’t want to help us out in these hard times. I’m ready to show the hotel that I’m serious about winning a livable wage and securing a better future for myself and my daughter.”
Alfredo, a shop steward at Fairmont Copley Plaza who has been working at the hotel for 18 years had this to say. “Hotel workers, we don’t feel like we get paid enough to live in Boston. I used to live in Boston but I moved out because I couldn’t afford to pay the rent and everything has become very expensive. Our wages are too low for us to be able to live in Boston anymore.”
The Path To Victory
There is reason for optimism here because some recent successful strikes by UNITE HERE both in Boston and other places in the country.
Last year, UNITE HERE workers won record contracts after rolling strikes at Los Angeles hotels and a 47-day strike at Detroit casinos. UNITE HERE Local 26 successfully organized a 22-day strike at Harvard in 2016, a 46-day strike at Marriott hotels in 2018, and a 79-day strike at the Battery Wharf hotel in 2019.
Striking Workers at The Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel
Workers from Hilton Boston Park Plaza Hotel on Strike
Strikes like these reinforce the fact that the US labor movement is beginning to see a resurgence, and socialists across the country must be embedded within this movement to grow labor’s size and militancy. For socialists, crucial steps to achieving these two goals would include ending labor’s political attachment to the capitalist class through the development of an independent political party for the working class, followed by persistent struggle to combat anti-union legislation such as right to work laws and the limits imposed on union activity through the Taft-Hartley Act. For any of this to happen, we need socialists in unions, both as rank and file members and in union leadership through improved democratic processes.
In the meantime travelers should remain on alert and consult the travel guides and labor dispute map provided by UNITE HERE at FairHotel.org to learn whether or not a hotel is on strike and where alternatives are located.
Ben is an engineer and a member of Boston DSA with a background in independent journalism.
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