Posts tagged Boston
Some dockworkers earn more than $400,000 a year
October 3, 2024 // More than half of 3,726 dockworkers at the Port of New York and New Jersey earned more than $150,000 in the fiscal year that ended in 2020, according to the port's regulator, the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor. About one in five dockworkers at the port earned more than $250,000 that year. Eighteen dockworkers brought in more than $450,000 that year – more than the annual salary as the U.S. President ($400,000) and more than most U.S. workers. The real median household income for all Americans was $74,580 in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Some dockworkers get paid even if they don't work.
Nearly 1,200 Boston hotel workers walk off the job in strike’s biggest wave
September 23, 2024 // The first wave of strikes began in Boston and eight other cities during the Labor Day weekend. To date, about 2,500 hotel workers from 12 Boston properties have walked off the job in three waves of three-day strikes. Workers from the first and second strike waves are employees of the Hilton Park Plaza, Hilton Boston Logan Airport, Hampton Inn & Homewood Suites at the Hilton Seaport, Fairmont Copley Plaza, The Dagny Boston, Moxy Boston Downtown, The Newbury Boston and the W Boston.
Politicians attend Labor Day breakfast outside Boston hotel join striking workers
September 3, 2024 // Almost 900 went on strike Sunday at Hilton Logan Airport, Hilton-Hampton Inn Boston Seaport, Fairmont Copley Plaza and Hilton Park Plaza. The picket line outside the Park Plaza forced organizers to relocate the Greater Boston Labor Council's Labor Day breakfast, an annual gathering of Democrats and union leaders. The breakfast was moved outdoors to Statler Park.
Strikes start at top hotel chains; housekeepers seek higher wages, daily room cleaning
September 2, 2024 // The union hopes to build on its recent success in southern California, where after repeated strikes it won significant wage hikes, increased employer contributions to pensions, and fair workload guarantees in a new contract with 34 hotels. Under the contract, housekeepers at most hotels will earn $35 an hour by July 2027. The American Hotel And Lodging Association says 80% of its member hotels report staffing shortages, and 50% cite housekeeping as their most critical hiring need. Kevin Carey, the association's interim president and CEO, says hotels are doing all they can to attract workers. According to the association's surveys, 86% of hoteliers have increased wages over the past six months, and many have offered more flexibility with hours or expanded benefits. The association says wages for hotel workers have risen 26% since the pandemic.
JD Vance receives received a mix of boos, applause at firefighters’ convention in Boston
August 30, 2024 // There was applause. There were boos. But Vance asked critics to give him a chance. "Sounds like we got some fans and some haters. That's OK," he said. "Let's listen to what I have to say here." Vance's pitch to the largest firefighter union was fairly straightforward: Firefighters, he claimed, are worse off than they were before President Biden took office.
Hotel Workers’ Union UNITE HERE Releases Travelers’ Guide to Possible Strikes as Busy Labor Day Travel Weekend Approaches
August 25, 2024 // Hotel workers’ union UNITE HERE today published a guide of travel tips to help hotel guests plan for possible strikes across the United States. Thousands of hotel workers in nine cities have now authorized strikes at Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, and Omni hotels, but hotels rarely notify guests of a strike, and travelers sometimes learn of a strike only upon arriving at their hotel and being met by a boisterous picket line. The union launched the travel guide ahead of Labor Day weekend, when millions of Americans are planning travel.
Hotel workers in 4 cities start voting today on whether to strike
August 8, 2024 // About 13,500 hotel workers in four cities will begin voting today on whether to strike while their new employment contracts are being negotiated, according to their union, Unite Here. The workers are located in San Francisco, Honolulu, Boston and Providence, Rhode Island. The hotels that could be affected include properties in the portfolios of Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott and Omni. The strike votes will be staggered rather than all held at once.
Hotel workers in four US cities to hold strike authorization votes
July 25, 2024 // Workers at 125 hotels in the four cities have sought significant pay raises in new contracts to replace ones that have expired or will expire soon. They are also seeking better healthcare and pension plans and are looking for hotel operators to reverse pandemic-era staff and service cuts like daily room cleaning.
America’s freelance capitals, ranked
May 22, 2024 // Freelancers account for 4.1% of the U.S. labor force, per the report — and many seem to be finding success, with 43% reporting a revenue bump last year... What they found: The country's freelancers seem a generally optimistic bunch, with 55% expecting to earn more this year than in 2023. 29% of freelancers also have a traditional job, though the share who solely freelance hit 71% in 2023, compared to 61% in 2021. A "striking" 75% of freelancers with a full-time gig say they're highly satisfied with their side hustle, per the report, compared to just 47% who feel the same way about their day jobs.
Thousands of hotel workers to rally in 18 cities ahead of contract negotiations
May 1, 2024 // Unionized hotel workers demanding significant pay raises will rally on May Day in 18 U.S. and Canadian cities, as talks are beginning with operators Marriott International (MAR.O), opens new tab, Hilton Worldwide Holdings (HLT.N), opens new tab and Hyatt Hotels Corp (H.N) , opens new tab. Talks will cover about 40,000 workers who look to secure new contracts for the first time since the pandemic. Workers want to reverse pandemic-era staffing and service cuts, as well as duplicate the big pay hikes that organized workers across the nation have been winning in the recent years.