Boston hotel workers demonstrate for higher wages and announce vote on strike authorization

Meanwhile, hotel profits and room rates have risen nationwide, according to a press release from UNITE HERE Local 26, the union that represents hotel workers in Massachusetts and Rhode Island and organized the rally. Inflation has exceeded 4 percent Wage increases that some workers received said Carlos Aramayo, the president of the union.

“I definitely feel like I need a raise,” said William Brown, 25, a domestic worker at the Omni Boston who lives in Dorchester and makes about $28 an hour. “I haven’t been able to save any money, and I have a 4-year-old daughter.”

After the COVID-19 pandemic, hotels laid off workers to save labor costs, but the jobs Low wages and high workloads make it difficult for hotels to recruit and retain employees. Aramayo said the lack of staff is the biggest burden on kitchen and housekeeping workers, he said.

“People are actually being asked to work more and more to maintain the standard of service,” Aramayo said.

According to the union’s press release, more than 30 contracts involving 5,500 workers are set to expire on August 31, including those at the Hilton Boston Logan Airport, the W Boston and the Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport. (Those hotels did not respond to requests for comment.)

If the union approves strike authorization in the vote scheduled for Aug. 6-8, the union’s bargaining committee could decide to allow workers to strike at any time after their contracts expire, Aramayo said.

The Hyatt Regency Boston is in a different situation. It formed a union about a month ago and is now preparing to negotiate its first collective bargaining agreement.

Wendell P. Lomax Jr., the hotel’s executive chef, said he lives in Lynn and earns $28.50 an hour. His last raise was 13 cents an hour, which he said was insulting. He believes he and his colleagues need a larger raise that is commensurate with the high inflation they face.

“We like the place, we like the management; we just don’t like the way they run the business and the way they treat the employees,” he said. “They say we’re family, but we don’t see that.”

Michael D’Angelo, Hyatt’s director of labor and labor for the Americas, said in a statement that employee well-being is “always our highest priority.”

“Hyatt has a long history of working with the unions that represent our employees, and we look forward to beginning negotiations with UNITE HERE Local 26 in the coming weeks on the first collective bargaining agreement for our recently organized employees,” said D’Angelo.

Meanwhile, hotel groups Omni, Hilton and Marriott have offered a $4 pay raise over four years, while workers themselves are demanding a $10 raise, says Lynette Ng, communications director for Local 26.

Boston City Councilmen Henry Santana and Ed Flynn joined the workers at the rally.

“They don’t want to get rich,” Flynn said. “They want to pay their bills and feed their families.”

In a recent survey of about 450 hoteliers conducted by the American Hotel and Lodging Association, 76 percent of respondents were struggling with staff shortages and 79 percent said they were unable to fill their vacancies. However, 86 percent said they had increased wages in the past six months.

You can reach Stella Tannenbaum at [email protected].