Going on vacation means a relaxing time for you and me, but not so much for the hotel staff who are forced to go above and beyond to cater to our needs. Boston hotel workers have gone on strike, demanding fair wages and a sustainable schedule to make it easier for them to do their jobs. UNITE HERE Local 26, the union backing the staff, has managed to unify workers and bring them out to convince hotels that they are deserving of better work conditions day to day.
Employees from Hilton Boston Park Plaza and Hilton at Logan Airport were already on strike, but now Omni workers are joining the strike as well.
Image: UNITE HERE Local 26
The Boston Hotel Workers’ Strike Grows in Number as Workers from Omni Join In
The hotel workers’ strikes in Boston and Seattle have been increasing in number since early September. Last month, during the Labor Day weekend, the UNITE HERE Local 26 union organized three-day strikes across hotels in Boston and a few other regions as workers demanded the hotel review the regulations that have been in place since the pandemic.
Last week, over 374 workers from the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Seattle Airport and Hilton Seattle Airport & Conference Center went on strike, and the union announced that things would remain the same until the early hours of October 19.
Now, according to Reuters, more than 4,300 hotel workers are on strike at Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott hotels across Honolulu, San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle. Workers at Hawaii’s largest hotel, the Hilton Hawaiian Village, have been on strike for over 3 weeks.
Around 1,300 hotel workers are on strike in Boston and they are expected to continue their protest until the two hotel chains provide the workers with new contracts. Approximately 600 workers from the Hilton hotels had already begun the demand for a new contract, and this included a range of staff members like room cleaners, front desk staff, cooks, banquet workers, etc.
More recently, 700 workers from the Omni hotels joined the strike, specifically from the Omni Parker House and the Omni Boston Seaport hotels. These workers are determined not to return to work until they are able to re-establish a new contract.
What Are the Workers’ Strikes in Boston and Seattle About?
The Omni and Hilton hotel workers’ strike is growing in volume and strength as workers become more determined to secure a new contract with the hotels. Earlier negotiations came to a standstill around Labor Day weekend prompting the temporary strikes last month, but matters have not progressed any further since.
The 1300 hotel workers striking in Boston as well as the other regions claim that during the pandemic, many hotels were forced to lay off workers and cut down their workforce. This occurred both due to reduced demands and the limited capabilities of the hotels to support a large workforce during that period. Despite the post-pandemic conditions returning travel habits back to normal, many hotels did not increase their staff numbers, causing the remaining workers to be significantly overworked.
The hotel workers also feel that their wages and benefits have not kept up with inflation, causing it to become harder for them to make ends meet. The lower wages make it harder for hotels to retain workers, further adding pressure on the remaining workers.
Guests at the various hotels have complained about the conditions of the hotel as the strikes have taken workers away from their jobs, leaving the businesses unprepared to handle their guests. The longer the hotels delay arriving at a deal, the more likely it is that they will lose out on business as guests choose other hotels over theirs.
Back in September, Hilton told CBS News that it was “committed to negotiating in good faith to reach fair and reasonable agreements” but this statement was provided before the strike began. As the hotel worker strikes proceed in Boston and Seattle, we’ll be able to get a better sense of how negotiations are moving forward between the parties.
