Boston hotel workers walk off job, say they'll stay on picket line until new contract

    BOSTON (WCVB) -- Hundreds of workers at two more busy downtown Boston hotels will walk off the job and onto the picket line Monday as part of an ongoing contract dispute.

UNITE HERE Local 26 said Monday that 685 workers from the Omni Parker House and the Omni Boston Seaport hotels will join 600 workers already on strike at the Hilton Boston Logan Airport and the Hilton Boston Park Plaza.

"Strikers will staff picket lines outside the hotel entrances 24 hours a day, seven days a week," the local posted.

Workers at both Omni properties walked off the job for three days in September but said this time they will not return to work until they reach an agreement with Omni Hotels & Resorts.

The union said it began negotiations in April in pursuit of wages commensurate with the high cost of living in Boston, a pension, improved benefits, rules to prevent on-the-job injuries and a reversal of staffing cuts made during the pandemic.

The first wave of five strikes to date began in Boston and eight other cities during the Labor Day weekend.

"UNITE HERE Local 26 had given major hotel companies including Hilton, Marriott and Omni a deadline of October 4th to reach an agreement before commencing indefinite strikes," the local posted.

Striking workers include room attendants, housepersons, front desk agents, telephone systems operators, doorpersons, bellhops, cooks, dishwashers, banquet staff, barbacks and others.

The workers' contract expired on Aug. 31.

The Omni Boston Seaport Hotel is the largest hotel in Boston, with more than 1,000 rooms, and its smaller sister property, the Omni Parker House, is the longest continuously operating hotel in the country.

The Omni Parker House was founded in the 1850s and has never seen its employees go on strike, the union said.

The U.S. hotel industry employs about 1.9 million people, some 196,000 fewer workers than in February 2019, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nearly 90% of building housekeepers are women, according to federal statistics.

The union hopes to build on its recent success in southern California, where, after repeated strikes, it won significant wage hikes, increased employer contributions to pensions, and fair workload guarantees in a new contract with 34 hotels. Under the contract, housekeepers at most hotels will earn $35 an hour by July 2027.

The American Hotel And Lodging Association says 80% of its member hotels report staffing shortages, and 50% cite housekeeping as their most critical hiring need.