UNITE HERE Local 26 union workers at Fenway Park and MGM Music Hall announced Wednesday a three-day strike against Aramark, the ballpark’s management company, beginning July 25 — a move supported by 95% of union members.
The central demands of what will be the first strike in Fenway Park’s history are standardized city-wide wages, automation limits, scheduling reflective of seniority and increased gratuities for workers who serve VIP guests.
As rent and grocery prices continue to skyrocket in Boston, some union members said wage increases are their most important demand.
“We’re hardworking Bostonians,” said Natalie Greening, a concessions worker at Fenway Park. “[Boston] has gotten extremely expensive in the last three decades, and Aramark makes a lot of money in the ballpark. They should share that with the employees who are making them that money.”
Greening said cooks and warehouse workers have been “overlooked for a very long time” and need a drastic wage increase to live comfortably in Boston.
Aramark wants to raise wages for untipped workers by 50 cents, which would still leave them below a $20 hourly threshold. The union is asking instead for an increase of about $3, said Lauren Casello, a suite attendant who has worked at Fenway for 22 seasons.
“They work so hard in really hot and frustrating conditions,” Casello said. “It would really help, not only me too, but especially the back of the house, people that don’t get tipped.”
Since authorizing the strike, union members said they have seen no meaningful change in negotiations with Aramark.
Given the “lack of interest” Aramark has exhibited in negotiating with the union, the strike is the only way the union can reach their demands, said Leo Aristides Peña in Spanish via a translator.
Peña, a utility overseer and cook at the park for 15 years, was part of a union in the Dominican Republic, his home, as well.
“I thought [the U.S.] was a country of fairness and it was well organized,” he said. “So I didn’t think that I would have to fight for my rights and benefits.”
Along with Red Sox fans, other Boston-based unions, including Teamsters Local 25 and Boston Firefighters Local 718, have expressed their support for the strike, Greening said.
“We appreciate the support,” she said. “Keep patronizing the concession stands until we’re on an official strike and support us on the picket line.”
The strike authorization also garnered national support. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders spoke with Fenway workers and endorsed the strike on Monday, July 14.
Union members wrote an open letter to Fenway Sports Group and John Henry, principal owner of the Red Sox, on Tuesday, asking Henry to acknowledge the people who make his ballpark run.
Aramark is paying union workers “poverty wages,” the letter reads.
“That’s despite the fact that the same company pays workers doing similar jobs at Boston University and at other ballparks across the United States significantly more,” the letter continues.
Casello said she wants to see more appreciation from Aramark for their employees, some of whom work year-round.
“We just want to make sure we get fair wages, a fair contract,” Casello said. “We’re not asking for anything crazy. We’re trying to just get up with the standard.”
