Hundreds of workers at Marriott hotels in Boston go on strike

BOSTON — Hundreds of Marriott hotel workers in Boston walked off the job Wednesday morning.

After months of negotiations, more than 1,500 housekeepers, cooks, servers and dishwashers from Boston's Local 26 union are striking for fair wages.

Some of the local's members must work second and third jobs just to cover their family's living expenses and rent, the union says, and "One job should be enough."

This is the first hotel strike in the city's history.

The last time Local 26 went on strike was at Harvard in October 2016. Dining hall workers walked out for 22 days before eventually settling on a contract with the university.

Wednesday's strike will affect seven Marriott-operated hotels in downtown Boston, the union said, including the Aloft Boston Seaport District; the Element Boston Seaport District; the Ritz-Carlton Boston; the Sheraton Boston; the W Hotel Boston; the Westin Boston Waterfront; and the Westin Copley Place.

Workers at Marriott properties in other cities -- including Chicago, San Francisco and Seattle -- have either voted to authorize a strike or walked off the job in recent months.

Marriott released a statement to Boston 25 News regarding the strike:

"We are disappointed that Unite Here has chosen to resort to a strike at this time. Marriott’s current economic proposal matches the economic terms in the parties’ last contract, which included the largest increases in the parties’ bargaining history.  We have not proposed any changes to our associates’ health, welfare or retirement benefits. During the strike our hotels are open, and we stand ready to provide excellent service to our guests. While we respect our associates’ rights to participate in this work stoppage, we also will welcome any associate who chooses to continue to work."

Cox Media Group