Boston hotel workers walked out of their jobs on Sunday to strike. A release by the local hotel worker’s union, UNITE HERE Local 26, said the strike was indefinite and their picket lines would be staffed 24/7.
Strikers say that Boston hotels are understaffed, workers are underpaid, and the cost of living in the city remains unmanageable.
Throughout the sunny day and the cold October breeze of Sunday night, the workers protested unremittingly in front of the Hilton Boston Park Plaza Hotel’s entrance. On Monday, they remained determined to reach a deal, untroubled by the heavy spurs of rain.
Though the day had been long, the workers’ circular march persisted into its second night.
Wearing rain ponchos and signs reading “On Strike” in bold letters over their bright red union shirts, with megaphones in hand, the crowd chanted rhymes and used Home Depot buckets as make-shift drums. “Park Plaza on strike, all day, all night,” strikers yelled.
“We’re out here right now because we’re protesting our wages, health insurance, and pension,” said Michelet Noel, who led chants in front of the hotel Monday night.
Noel has worked as a hotel operator at Park Plaza for over 20 years. Along with higher wages, the workers are asking for better staffing.
Many hotels are still dealing with the fallout of COVID-19-era staffing cuts, which created more work for current employees as businesses have moved back to regular busy seasons. And though the prices of hotel services have increased since, the workers say that their wages have not kept up with post-pandemic inflation.
According to a post made by UNITE HERE Local 26’s official X account, there are 600 hotel workers currently on strike at the Hilton Boston Logan and the Hilton Boston Park Plaza.
“This time they’re not going back to work until they win the wages they deserve!” the post read.
Unite Here is the union of workers in a variety of North America’s industries, including hotels. Unite Here represents more than 250,000 workers in the United States and Canada.
“We’re not worried about our jobs at all,” said Noel. “We are local 26. It’s one of the best unions in town.”
After the employee’s last contract expired on Aug. 31, a strike was authorized by Local 26 in early September, with 99% of hotel workers voting in favor of the strike.
The union had originally hoped to reach a deal by Oct. 4, through a series of three-day strikes in September.
“We’ve sat down with the company three times and they’re not coming with what we’ve asked them for so we’re going to keep going,” Noel said.
The strike has even gained international attention, with unions such as Ver.di, a German trade union, calling for Lufthansa Group to stop using Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott hotels to provide layover accommodations for their crew, amid the hotel worker strikes.
All the departments of the hotel have joined forces to continue to make their voices heard. Today marks the worker’s fifth day on strike.
“All of us are here. We are like sisters and brothers. We’ve known each other for more than 20 years,” Noel said. “Everybody is united. Everybody has shown up as one. We have one goal: to get what we asked for.”
