Hotel workers in Boston voted 1,013 to 27 to authorize a boycott and strike at the Sheraton Boston, Boston Park Plaza, Westin Waterfront Hotel, and Westin Copley Place.  The housekeepers, bellmen and other hotel workers are members of UNITE HERE Local 26 and they've been in talks with Starwood Hotels since last November to negotiate a new contract. Key issues in dispute are annual wage increases, a pension plan, and workload, which currently requires housekeepers to clean 16 rooms per shift. (See here and here for more on hazards for housekeepers.) Â
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Thousands of hotel workers in Boston are awaiting the results of contract negotiations between Unite Here!
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I thought I was pretty well aware of the occupational hazards faced by hotel housekeepers: repetitive motions that can cause musculoskeletal disorders, exposures to chemicals and pathogens, and grueling work schedules contributing to stress and exhaustion.