Workers at two Boston Hilton hotels go on open-ended strike

About 600 workers at two Boston Hilton hotels announced an open-ended strike Sunday, escalating contract disputes following a series of temporary strikes at Boston hotels over the last month.

“I work up to 70 hours a week,” said Theresa Fiorino, an in-room dining cashier at the Hilton Boston Logan Airport, who noted she’s working two jobs. “Going on strike is going to hurt me financially, but I am willing to make that sacrifice together with my co-workers. We are a team, and we are ready to show the hotel companies that we mean business.”

Union workers at the Hilton Boston Logan Airport and Hilton Boston Park Plaza, the largest Hilton hotels in the city, took to the picket lines Sunday and will not return to work until contract negotiations are settled, the union UNITE HERE Local 26 said in a release.

Both hotel staffs went on strike for three days starting Labor Day last month, among many high-profile Boston hotels to take the action that weekend and in the weeks following. The union said they gave hotels including Hilton, Marriott, and Omni properties a deadline of Oct. 4 to reach an agreement.

“Because 99% of hotel workers voted to authorize a citywide strike at 36 Boston properties whose previous contracts expired on August 31st, workers from other UNITE HERE Local 26 properties may also go on strike at any time and for any duration, potentially expanding the number of hotels affected in the city,” the union stated.

The union said workers have engaged in contract negotiations since April, citing concerns about the rising cost of living and unsustainable workloads. Many striking hotel workers have described conditions in which they cannot afford to live in Boston and commute from surrounding cities or have to take multiple jobs.