Photo: Credit: UNITE HERE Local 26
Updated 8/9/24 2:55 p.m.
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Boston hotel workers voted to go on strike Thursday, continuing a battle for higher wages and better benefits.
Members of the Unite Here Local 26 Union voted unanimously to strike at the end of August if a new contract agreement with higher wages is not reached.
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Members of the union rallied on Thursday, and WBZ NewsRadio spoke to a man who said that workers are tired of living paycheck to paycheck.
“We spend many hours at work, not because we love our jobs, but because we also need to take care of our families. I want to be able to buy a home, so my kids can buy their own space,” he said.
Carlos Aramayo, President of the UNITE HERE Local 26 union said in a statement that “thousands of hotel workers have spoken. They want the hotels to bring back hospitality by respecting their work and respecting their guests.”
Will Brown, a member and employee of the Omni Hotel in Seaport explained why he voted yes to strike.
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“I have a four-year-old daughter, so this raise is going to help me reach my goal of buying a house in the future,” Brown said.
The Union has said that this marks the first time that Local 26 has organized a strike vote of this magnitude, covering more than half of its membership.
WBZ NewsRadio has reached out to multiple affected hotels for comment and many did not respond. However, Encore Boston Harbor said in a statement that they did not have a comment because they are "parties to a current collective bargaining agreement with Unite Here."
WBZ NewsRadio’s James Rojas (@JamesRojasMMJ) reports.
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