Boston hotel workers go on strike at Fairmont Copley, Park Plaza: ‘We’re on strike to make them pay’

Hotel workers are on strike during the busy Labor Day weekend, as they call for higher wages and better working conditions.

More than 900 employees at four Boston hotels walked off the job on Sunday. The 938 union workers are on strike at: Fairmont Copley Plaza, Hilton Boston Park Plaza, Hilton Boston Logan Airport, and Hilton’s Hampton Inn & Homewood Suites Boston Seaport.

The workers — members of the UNITE HERE Local 26 union — say their wages aren’t enough to cover the cost of living, and many have to work two jobs to make ends meet.

“I’m on strike because I need higher wages,” said Daniela Campusano, a housekeeper at the Boston Seaport hotel for 12 years. “I currently have two jobs, and I work about 65 hours a week.

“Everything is so expensive now – all my monthly bills have increased, and I need to earn more money so I can help my daughter pay for her university studies,” Campusano added. “One job should be enough.”

The union says that many hotels took advantage of the COVID pandemic to cut staffing and guest services that were never restored, causing workers to lose jobs and income – and creating painful working conditions for those who carry the increased workload.

“I’m on strike because I’m literally tired of working in multiple departments and having an unpredictable weekly schedule just so I can make 40 hours a week,” said Michael Correa, a barback at the Logan Airport hotel for 17 years.

“Going on strike is a huge sacrifice, but it’s something I have to do for myself and my two daughters,” Correa added. “We told the bosses in our negotiations how hard things are for us right now, but they didn’t care. The hotel only respects power, so it’s time to show them our strength.”

The union is urging guests not to eat, sleep, or meet at any hotel that’s on strike or where workers have been on strike until they secure a new contract.

Picket lines will run outside strike hotels for up to 24 hours a day. The strike in Boston is expected to last three days.

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“Hotel workers are fighting for their economic lives,” said Carlos Aramayo, president of UNITE HERE Local 26. “The hotel industry is making massive profits, but wages just aren’t enough to support our families.

“Service and staffing cuts have made hotel jobs more painful than ever, and we don’t want hotels to become the next airline industry – where guests pay more and get less while workers are left behind,” the president added. “Workers are fed up with the hotels, and we’re on strike to make them pay.”

Hilton and Fairmont Copley did not immediately respond to comment on Sunday.

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