Hundreds of hotel workers at two of Boston's busiest Hilton hotels began an open ended strike on Sunday morning, and they say they won't return to work until they get more money.
Front desk agents, cooks, cashiers, housekeepers and more from the Hilton Boston Park Plaza and Hilton Boston Logan Airport Hotel will unite in picket lines outside hotel entrances 24 hours a day, 7 days a week seeking higher wages, improved pensions and better service to guests, according to UNITE HERE Local 26.
The union says there has been months of deadlock with no deal in sight.
“The industry has fully recovered from COVID, we need a significant amount of money in wages up front to make up for the lost income that have had over the last couple of years,” union president Carlos Aramayo said.
This strike would be different than others because it's what's called an "open-ended" strike, meaning workers can walk off the job and not return until they have a new contract. This kind of larger, more long-term strike would be a major escalation after smaller strikes that affected a handful of hotels for a couple of days had been happening since Sept. 1.
Aramayo says these are everyday, hard-working people who are ready to stand up for themselves.
“They’re people who made the decision that they are worth something. They are working people who work with their hands everyday. They get dirty every day going to work, cleaning these rooms including dishes and cooking food and providing the service that guests expect. And they’ve decided that they are worth something and that they are worth something that will allow them to continue to live in the city, to be part of this community, to have their families prosper and they’ve decided that they are going to stand up and fight for that and they are going to make this industry pay no matter what it takes,” he said.
“We want to be able to afford to live in this city that we are working and we want to continue to provide great service here in the city of Boston," said Kevin Haynes, a cook at Hilton Park Plaza. “We are the ones who bring your customers, their guests, we are the ones who show them the hospitality, we are the ones who make you your money. We want what we deserve, which is a fair wage."
Some Hilton guests tell NBC10 Boston that they regret staying at the property due to all of this.
“If I knew that, I would have chosen a better hotel where they actually take care of their employees, so I support them. Go on strike, peacefully," said Park Plaza guest Angelo Cartis. “I definitely think people that are making this business run should be paid a livable wage. You take care of your employees, they’ll take care of the guests. Simple as that."
“This is a front facing, customer facing job. It's hard to do. It's stressful work. You deal with a lot of often unpleasant people,” said Alex Sterzin, who also supports union workers.
The Boston Park Plaza Hotel sent a letter to guests saying the hotel operations wouldn't be significantly disrupted by the strike, but housekeeping would be limited to departures.
A Hilton spokesperson tells NBC10 Boston that they are currently in negotiations for a new contract with UNITE HERE Local 26, the union that represents most of their hourly team members.
"The union has chosen to pull our Team Members out on strike and while we do not believe the union’s decision to strike is in the best interests of our Team Members, we respect their right to do so in a peaceful and lawful manner," the spokesperson said in a statement.
The spokesperson went on to say they are "proud" of the wages and benefits they provide their team members -- all of which were negotiated as part of their longstanding relationship with the union.
"These are among the highest paying jobs in the hospitality industry in Boston, with regular pay increases, health insurance for our Team Members and their families that is fully subsidized by the hotel, generous vacation and paid holidays, and a pension that is fully paid for by the hotels," the spokesperson continued. "While we disagree with many of the union’s current demands, we trust that we share the same goal which is to negotiate toward a fair and reasonable agreement that is beneficial to both our valued Team Members and our hotels. We will continue to work towards that goal."
The Hilton spokesperson also said that they remain fully committed to providing guests with their signature hospitality, noting that their hotels have contingency plans in place to ensure operations continue to run as smoothly as possible.
