Hotel workers are ready to strike this weekend

The strike would come after months of unsuccessful negotiations over wages and workloads.

Hotel workers represented by UNITE HERE Local 26 in Boston are preparing to strike at 35 hotels as soon as this Sunday.

As contracts expire at the end of the month, UNITE Here Local 26 is preparing by having workers register for strike benefits, sign up for picket duty, and prepare “On Strike” signs.

The actions follow months of unsuccessful negotiations over wages and workloads.

The Hilton Boston Park Plaza, the Hilton Boston Logan Airport, and the Fairmont Copley Plaza are among the hotels that the strike could affect.

The work stoppage could involve around two-thirds of the full-service hotel rooms in Boston all at once, or the stoppages could happen individually.

“Hotel workers are preparing in earnest for a historic Citywide strike in Boston and across the U.S.,” Carlos Aramayo, president of UNITE HERE Local 26, said in a statement.

“It’s unacceptable that hotel workers often struggle to afford basic necessities despite working for a big brand like Hilton or Marriott,” he continued. “Our work of providing high quality guest services and amenities should be protected… After months of unsuccessful negotiations, hotel workers are ready to fight for what we deserve, and we’re going to win.”

The potential strike falls after a 99% vote to authorize a citywide strike happened earlier this month in front of City Hall.

UNITE HERE is leading a nationwide effort for workers demanding higher wages, fair staffing and workloads, and the reversal of COVID-era staffing cuts.

The union said that many hotel workers struggle to make ends meet due to insufficient pay and often have to work multiple jobs to support their families.

The union states that many hotels took advantage of the pandemic by cutting staffing and suspending guest services that were never restored, causing workers to lose jobs and income. The cuts also created challenging working conditions for those with increased workloads.

“I’m ready to strike because we’re all struggling to pay our monthly bills,” said Susana Coelho, a PBX Operator at the Hilton Boston Logan Airport Hotel for 21 years, in a statement. “We’ve been in negotiations for months, but the hotels don’t want to help us out in these hard times. I’m ready to show the hotel that I’m serious about winning a livable wage and securing a better future for myself and my daughter.”

UNITE HERE Local 26 represents workers in the hospitality industry in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Members work in Boston and Providence hotels, restaurants, university dining halls, Boston convention centers, Fenway Park, and Logan International Airport.