Fenway Park workers' union says strike is imminent, asks Boston Red Sox fans not to buy food or drinks
The union representing Aramark workers at Fenway Park and MGM Music Hall in Boston is giving the company two days to settle a new contract before they go on strike.
The bargaining committee for UNITE HERE Local 26 said Aramark has until noon on Friday, July 25. The strike would last three days, during a homestand the Boston Red Sox have with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
"I don't want to go on strike, I'd rather them sit down at the bargaining table like other unions do and bargain," said Fenway Park worker Robert Hesham.
If a strike happens, the union is asking fans to support striking workers by not buying food or drink at Fenway.
Fighting for higher wages
Workers are fighting for standard, city-wide wages and guardrails on automation. Carlos Aramayo, the president of UNITE HERE Local 26, said people who do similar work at nearby Boston University or Simmons University are making at least $10 more. He said they've been bargaining with Fenway Park and Aramark for six months.
"There are major issues at stake here. Folks at the park are paid poverty wages, many who start at the park have to make minimum wage to work their way up to 18 dollars and change. That is not acceptable at America's Ballpark," said Aramayo.
Replacing staff with automation
Another issue is replacing staff with automated machines that Aramayo said is taking jobs away from workers.
"The one thing you can't lose is a soul, automation has no soul," said Fenway Park worker Jean Cesar. "If you mess up at the register, who is going to help you out? AI is just going to keep asking you questions over and over and over."
"There used to be four beer sellers at one particular stand, now there is one person watching over four of these machines. So there you lose three people who once had a job that once earned wages, that once received gratuity now receive nothing," said Charbel Salameh, who's worked as a beer seller at Fenway for 28 years. "Every company, everywhere you walk into, grocery stores, supermarkets, Target, Walmart. They're all doing self-checkout and it just takes away jobs anywhere."
Amanda Savage, a stand worker at Fenway for the past 18 years, said she's earning half as much as she did because people aren't tipping with the automated machines.
"We would prefer a contract that our untipped workers can live on, we would prefer a contract that doesn't replace me with a machine. I have worked here since high school, I am also a fourth grade teacher, I stay at Fenway because I love it." She added many of the workers at Fenway also work second jobs.
Asking fans to not buy concessions this weekend
Aramayo is asking Red Sox fans who attend the Dodgers series this weekend to not purchase any concessions as a show of solidarity.
"We are the soul of Fenway Park. When people come to Boston, when people go to Fenway, they come not just to see a great ballgame, they come for the cultural experience. They come to experience what is the truth of Boston," said Aramayo.
Laura Crystal, a stand worker at Fenway who's also working a second job as a teacher, agreed.
"You come here for an experience. You're not just coming to Fenway Park to watch a baseball game. You're coming here because it's cool, it's exciting, it's a landmark, it's historical. There's a huge legacy to Fenway Park and we strongly feel that we're part of that and that we provide that hospitality that makes that experience elevated. So when you remove us, you really do remove the soul of the park," said Crystal.
In a statement sent to WBZ-TV, Aramark said, "In the event of a strike, we have contingency plans in place to ensure that fans will not encounter service interruptions. We will continue to work with the union to try to reach an agreement."
