Hotel workers have walked off the job in three waves since the beginning of September. Each strike targeted a handful of hotels and lasted three days. Now, workers are threatening a major escalation.
“The anxiety goes through the roof but we all are determined to achieve the goal,” said Kevin Haynes, a cook at the Hilton Park Plaza. “We’re highly motivated to get this done.”
UNITE HERE Local 26 has said if no new contract is reached by midnight, workers are prepared to walk off the job in the coming hours or days, and this time it could be open ended – meaning no going back to work until a deal is done.
“There may be significant long strikes in the hotel industry here in Boston,” said Carlos Aramayo, president of the union.
Close to 5,000 workers at 36 hotels in Boston and Cambridge could strike.
Among the contract sticking points are health care, pensions and wages.
The union says after months of negotiations, they are still not even close to a deal.
“The industry has fully recovered from COVID,” said Aramayo. “We need a significant amount of money in wages up front to make up for the lost income over the last couple of years,”
Workers say they are the backbone of the industry.
“The hotel can’t sell rooms without the room being cleaned,” said Haynes. “Guests have to have something to eat, dishes have to be cleaned, appearance has to be clean, so all our jobs are very important.”
Hilton, Omni and Marriott have not returned requests for comment. They are the major hotel chains that could be impacted by a potential strike.
