Business & Tech
Marriott Hotel Strike Is Over In Boston
After more than a month of pickett lines outside 7 Marriott-opperated hotels in Boston, workers are headed back to work Wednesday.
BOSTON, MA — The strike is over for hotel workers at seven Boston Marriott-owned hotels. Workers walked off the job in October demanding higher pay, but after a tentative contract agreement, they're slated to head back to work Wednesday.
The announcement came this weekend to the cheers and high fives of workers.
Employees said they were asking for salaries that don’t force them to work more than one job so they can afford rents in Boston. Although Unite Here Local 26 representatives didn't give many details about the contract, a new contract does just that, they said.
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Representatives said this agreement would mark a standard going forward as they worked to continue to negotiate contracts in Hawaii and San Francisco.
"This contract will now ultimately impact 5,000 workers," said Nicki Morris a spokesperson from the union.
Find out what's happening in Bostonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
A Marriott International spokeswoman told reporters hotel officials looked forward to welcoming workers back ahead of the holiday season.
Unite Here Local 26 had urged people not to cross picket lines. The Boston City Council passed a resolution calling all city employees to not use Marriott hotels while workers were on strike. During the World Series Yankees players and then Dodgers players crossed the pickett line to the bemusement of pundits.
But now come the congratulations after the end of what organizers were calling the city's first hotel strike.
"Their courageous fight shows us how much power working people have when they join together to demand a better future," said Elizabeth Warren in a tweet.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and Governor Charlie Baker both previously indicated their support for the workers.
The Aloft Boston in the Seaport, the Element Boston in the Seaport, the Ritz-Carlton Boston, the Sheraton, the W Hotel, the Westin Boston Waterfront, and the Westin Copley Place are all Marriott-operated hotels that were impacted by the strike.
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