After months of negotiations with Omni hotels and about a week of over 600 workers on strike in Boston, the union unanimously approved a tentative contract agreement Sunday to send those employees back to work Monday morning.
The tentative agreement was reached late Friday night and ratified Sunday afternoon. The president of UNITE HERE Local 26 says it's a historic contract -- the best they've ever had -- and now they're celebrating.
“My god I’m really really happy,” said Mirta McClung, who works in housekeeping for Omni Parker House.
"This contract will give us the ability to put some food on the table,” said Yuri Yep, a restaurant server at Omni Parker House.
Hotel workers at Omni Parker House and Omni Boston Seaport had been on strike since Oct. 14. They started negotiating their contract back in April.
“We were very clear from the start that there was a real problem with the economy for our workers,” said Carlos Aramayo, President of UNITE HERE Local 26. "Folks couldn’t afford to live in Boston. They couldn’t afford the rent. They couldn’t afford to take their kids out for a nice meal once in a while.”
The new contract fills all of the union's core demands, including a $10 raise for hotel workers over the next four years, better benefits and job security.
"This is just a huge monumental win. Not just for me, but for everyone here," said Isaac Smith-Kawah, a cook at Omni Boston Seaport. “These wage wins, these increases are life-changing. You know I’m 26 years old. The idea of home ownership is not just a dream anymore. It’s something that could be possible.”
But the union's battle isn't over for everyone -- the open-ended strike continues for workers at two Hilton locations in the city, including Boston Park Plaza.
“We are still not resolved with our contracts with dozens of properties around the country," Aramayo said.
“We're not done until everyone is signed," Smith-Kawah said. "We're not finished until all of our brothers and sisters achieve what we were just able to get. It's not over yet."
Omni employees will be back on the job Monday morning, but Hilton workers say they will stay on strike until they get a fair contract of their own.
