October 14, 2024 • 42 mins
Hotel workers in Boston are on strike over increased wages and manageable workloads. UNITE HERE Local 26, the labor union representing the hospitality workers, has a total of 1,300 workers from the Omni Parker House and the Omni Boston Seaport hotels, Hilton Boston Logan Airport, and the Hilton Boston Park Plaza, who are on strike right now. That number could increase if more hotels join in on striking. Isaac Smith-Kawah, a cook joined Dan to discuss!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's with Dan Ray.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
I'm telling Boston.
Speaker 3 (00:05):
Radio, all right, there is a big, big strike going
on at several Boston hotels, a very public strike at
some of the city's most expensive hotels. And I've read
a lot about the strike, but today I thought it
(00:26):
would be good to talk to a member of the
union to find out what's at stake there. There seems
to be some legitimate claims that these strikers, these these
union members have I've never spoken with my guest before.
I think he's busy today on the picket line. I
(00:47):
want to welcome Isaac smith Kauer. He is a cook
at the Omni Boston Seaport Hotel. Isaac, welcome to Nightside.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
How are you, sir, I'm not doing too bad. How
about yourself?
Speaker 4 (00:58):
Then, well I'm you and fine.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
You guys got a strike on your hands, so I
want to know a little more about it, just to
introduce it to the audience. Our reporters were out there
today and I just want to play one of the
reports that Hyle Shaffle filed just as a table cetter.
So just hang with us for one minute.
Speaker 4 (01:23):
Here.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
We'll listen to cut number twenty three and I'll be
right back with you. ISAA cut number twenty.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
Three sounds good?
Speaker 5 (01:29):
Close to seven hundred Omni Parker workers walking off the job.
Boston sotel strike is more than doubled overnight.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
You know, everything is cruently Expensive'll pay the rent, pay
the billst and and everybody to.
Speaker 5 (01:40):
God is fight marta housekeeper joined dozens of our coworkers
at the Seaport Omnium to demand a contract and higher wages.
Your night here Local twenty six President Carlos Rmios, there's
a pay month for the workers. Will mean the difference
between staying in Boston and being forced out.
Speaker 4 (01:56):
If they keep saying make them pay, make them pay.
Speaker 5 (01:58):
They're demanding at the hotels step forward and reach a
contract that gives them significant ways increases. Another housekeeper I
talked to was I rate over needed to work multiple
jobs just to cover rent.
Speaker 4 (02:08):
You cannot leave with just one job, just one job
should be none.
Speaker 5 (02:13):
There's no end insight to the strike, and union leaders
say more hotels could be added at any time. Kyle
Shaffle to Beds Boston's News Radio.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
All right, so that's sort of a table set of
for this, But let's go back in a little bit
of history here I guess the union came to an agreement.
Speaker 4 (02:32):
It was the twenty eighteen was the last time a
contract was signed.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Uh, yeah, that's correct. That's actually before I was in
the union though I'm a baby union member. But yeah,
so this is my this is my first contract fight.
But yeah, it's been it's been a while.
Speaker 4 (02:50):
Sure, okay, no problem.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
Hey none of us were alive when George Washington was
the first president, but we all know about that, so
no problem.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
So that's right.
Speaker 3 (02:59):
Is mine standing is that when the contract expired, it
was during the time of COVID, and that there was
an agreement to extend the contract for a couple of years.
I just want to make sure, just in terms of
setting the the history here that I'm fairly close to accurate.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
Is that true as you as you understand.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
It now, that that is true as I understand it.
We came to an agreement with the hotels to you know,
kind of maintain, maintain our contract and our benefits, but
not push for two more because you know, you can't.
You couldn't stay there at a hotel during a during
the global pandemic. It was not a good time for travel.
Speaker 4 (03:37):
Tough time.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Yeah, So now the hotel.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Now that crisis seems to have passed, okay, and the
hotels are back pretty full.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
How many union.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Members does Local twenty six represent in Boston? And is
it every hotel or just certain hotels that have the
union membership the members have decided to join the union.
It's not every hotel in Boston, correct.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
So no, it's not every We represent a lot of
the hotels in Boston. And I honestly can't say exactly
how many members you represent. I do know that right
now there are about thirteen hundred of us striking. But yeah,
it's not every hotel is union. We represent most of
(04:26):
the hotels in the city, though, And it is just
about it is about, you know, having a union is
in the hands of the people. So it's about who
you know signs up and works for. Is it works
with us and votes for the union? You know what
I mean?
Speaker 4 (04:40):
Yeah, absolutely so, so my understanding.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
And again I've followed this from Afar and that's why
I appreciate you being on tonight because it'll give us
a better sense of what's going on. That the union
has taken a couple of steps excuse me there, taken
a couple of steps over the last few weeks, in
the last couple of months to I want to bring
this work issue out into public and for a while
(05:06):
certain hotels there were work stoppages, but this activity of
the last couple of days has intensified. So how many hotels,
how many how many hotels employees or unions at how
many hotels were on we're on strike today on the
picket line? Is it four that were that were that
(05:26):
were impacted today?
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Yes, so there's uh, there's four hotels on strike today.
It's both of the Omnis and two of the two
of the Hiltons that are on hotel and it's about
thirteen hundred members out right now. I was on the
picket line earlier today. You know, there's it's always a
good time at the Omni Seaport picket line. We keep it,
we keep we keep it lit over there.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
Yeah, okay, So what has been the reaction of Obviously
most of the people at the Omni Seaport are not
your average Bostonians. There are people who are come here
to attend an event or for business purposes or to
become tourists. Are you getting support, you know, at least
verbal support from from people who are checking into the hotels.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
Yeah, you know, it's a mixed bag. There's definitely people
who I've definitely seen a lot of support from a
lot of people. I've personally talked to people saying that,
you know, we're fighting a good fight. This is where
it starts. Stuff like that, you know, But also, and
I don't One of the things that I want to
make clear is that you know, this strike is not
(06:34):
against the guests, it's against the hotel. So I do feel.
I feel very bad when you know, I see I
see we're making noise and like, you know, I see
a kid covering their ears, I see people who haven't
slept very well. But you know, because I'm not in
hospitality to not get to not make people feel good,
(06:55):
you understand me, Like, like I care about the customers,
I care about the guests, right, So it's rough to see.
And so I understand people being annoyed. You know, they
spend so much money on these rooms. You know, we
had a woman, we had a woman come talk to
us today talking about she was spending nearly nine hundred
dollars a night and could and had never crossed the
(07:16):
picket line in her life and didn't want to. It
was very very apologetic about it. You know, so I
understand people being upset and mad, But what people need
to understand and realize at the end of the day
is that we're not try We don't want to be
out here ruining people's stay. We don't want to be
out here disturbing people's stay. We would love to be
in there providing the amazing service that you know, I
(07:37):
know that me and my coworkers delivered. We'd much rather
be doing that. But we're just at a point where
it's like, if we this is what it takes for
the company to even listen to us. You know, they
we we've we've been open negotiations since April, and you know,
we've seen very little movement forward on the on the
part of the companies.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
When we get back, Isaac would have liked to talk
to you about and again, I don't know how much
how specific you can be, but I'd love to find
out a little bit about what the current wages are,
if the wages differentiated between I understand you're a cook,
if I'm not mistaken, correct, Yeah, okay, so I don't
(08:19):
know if you're compensated more than all other union members,
if the compensation depends upon what job you feel or
whether or not it's across the board, And what are
the requests that the union is making, which I'm sure
you believe are more than reasonable. And how close you
are to this this weekend. Someone reminded me today that
(08:42):
is the head of the Child's weekend, and so there
are a lot of people coming into Boston, and if
the strike is still going on this weekend, that's going
to have a real impact on the hotels. And I
think that the pressure that you're bringing to bear may
may help cause the strike to be to be finished.
(09:03):
I'm sure you'd prefer to be in the hotel then
on the picket line. We'll take a we'll take a break.
My guest right now is a member of the Boston
Hotel union that is on strike. It's Unite here Local
twenty six, Isaac Smith Kawa, a cook at the Omni
Boston Seaport Hotel. I've read a lot a lot about this,
(09:25):
and I'm hoping that Isaac will be able to share
some of the specifics and how far apart everyone is here.
I haven't talked to him earlier today because he was
on the picket line. So I'm asking him questions that
this has not been These are not prepared questions that
I've submitted. I'm really just a search for information, and
(09:46):
I think Isaac's been pretty forthcoming so far, and I
hope will continue to be.
Speaker 4 (09:49):
We'll be back on Nightside. If you'd like to.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Join the conversation, feel free six one seven, two, five,
four ten thirty or six one seven, nine three one
ten thirty. My name is Dan Roy and this is
night Side.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World
night Side Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
My guest is Isaac Smith cow Op. He is a
cook in Boston, a member of the union that is
on strike here in the city, has been on strike
for some time now. He's a cook at the Army
Boston Seaport Hotel. So, so, Isaac, a couple of questions,
if I could. Everyone's in the union, but are people
(10:30):
treated differently by the hotels? Are there, for example, the
cooks make more money than the folks who are outside,
or you know, the luggage people or the desk people.
Who does the union cover at a hotel? At the
hotels here in Boston where you have organized how many
different positions, do you folks represent.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
You know, it's it depends hotel to hotel. Certain hotels
are every department is unionized, hotel not. Not every department
is unionized, but they do have the ability to sign
cards and join the union. So it's really it's really
kind of case by case. It depends on the way
(11:13):
the individual contract is written.
Speaker 3 (11:16):
Okay, so as a cook, as a cook, do you
earn more money as a cook than let's say, someone
who's on the the cleaning staff, the folks who do
the very important work of cleaning rooms and getting them ready,
you know, fresh and clean for new guests, or is
(11:37):
there a discrepancy there or does everyone make the same
amount of money based upon how long they've worked at
the hotel.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
Everyone's compensated very similarly. And I'd also like to say that,
I mean, every job in the hotel is important. Every
every single every single worker functions to make that to make.
Speaker 4 (12:02):
If you get to the hotel and your room isn't
made up, you got to sit in the lobby and wait.
Or if you get to the.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
Room and the and the room hasn't been made up
or properly, and you know, you walk out of the
room and you say, I don't want to go in there.
So how far apart uh all is the union from
the hotels. I assume the hoteltels that you manage your
negotiations with all the hotels together. You're not negotiating your
(12:29):
contract at the Omni Seaport, and someone else is in
some other group of is negotiating and contract at the
Omni Parker House, the the the Omni park Plaza. If
if I assume that it's a combined the uniony that
gets a contract and everybody goes back to work.
Speaker 4 (12:47):
It's not like they're gonna go hotel by hotel.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
So we are all standing in solidarity with each other,
but it's not exactly the same hotel the same contract
for each hotel. So, but what we are fighting for
is our five core demands, which is a record pay increase,
more than has ever been achieved in our locals history.
(13:11):
Another core demand is to maintain our health insurance at
the same price that it's at because you know, the
health insurance plan that we have has been hard fought
by union members even before me, and it's constantly under attack,
so we need to maintain that. We're looking to fix
the issue, fix the issues in housekeeping, because like you said,
(13:32):
the housekeepers are doing insanely important work without with with
no rooms, there's no hotels. And with the no housekeepers,
there's no rooms, and they have been overworked and overloaded
since since COVID, So we're looking to fix that. We're
looking to increase our pension so my older brothers and
(13:53):
sisters and siblings in the union are able to retire
with dignity. You know, they work hard to make sure
that every person who comes visit Boston is made to
feel special and care for, and they should be able
to they should be able to experience their golden years
with prosperity and dignity. And the last thing that we're
(14:14):
fighting for is our more control over the hiring practices
because the hotels have been understaffing since COVID. You know,
our staffing numbers are similar to COVID times, but you
know we don't have those restrictions no more, and we're
making way more money than they was making during COVID,
(14:36):
so there's no reason for that. And also a severance
deal to further protect the further protect our members if
they need to, if there's a situation where there are layoffs.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
Okay, so let's go all of those.
Speaker 3 (14:52):
Those concerns are vitally important, but at the core of
any contract negotiations always is going to be the money.
So give me, if you would, an approximation, you know,
an honest approximation. You seem like an honest guy. How
much does the average hotel worker who does all this
(15:14):
hard work, which includes again housekeeping, you know, cooking, making
sure that the food comes out on time and that
everyone's satisfied with their meals, to the people who greet
people at the door when they come in and carry
their luggage and make sure that they're well received. What
does the average hotel worker make at one of the
(15:34):
major hotels in Boston that's in the union. Approximately.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
I'm gonna tell you what it is, man, I'm gonna
tell you it's not enough, brother, Like at the end
of the day, like the majority of members all have
two jobs work amount of overtime.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
No, I understand that, and I respect that, but can
you give me a rough number? Is it ten dollars
an hour, twenty dollars an hour? What sort of a
range are we talking about here? Because I think it's
important for people to know that in a day when
you know, money doesn't go as far as it used to. Approximately,
what's what's the range that that the And I haven't
(16:10):
seen this in the in the newspapers, which is to
me frustrating because I want to know how strongly I
want to support the workers.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
Well, I mean you should just support the workers anyway.
Speaker 3 (16:23):
Right, No, I understand, I'll figure that out, Isaac. I'm
not being a wise guy. And if you don't want
to answer that question, that's fine, you can say that.
But I think it would be in the union's interest
if you said to me, hey, Dan, believe it or not,
the average person who works at one of these five
star hotels in Boston that we represented that we're striking.
Speaker 4 (16:42):
Against now makes X. Just to put it in terms
that people can understand.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
Well, I mean we're making you know, it's like around
twenty like the twenties area, you know. And I think
just to put in perspective, right like, uh, to speak
about the dude who owns my hotel, This is a
man whose net worth has gone up almost one and
a half billion dollars over the course of your hotel
(17:10):
three Robert Rolling, Robert Rolling, Right.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
Then I assume you work at the Omni seaports, So
that's who he's talking about.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Yeah, he is, he's the owner of all the Omni hotels. Well,
you know, this is a man, This is a man
whose net worth has gone up by almost one and
a half billion dollars right over the course of one year,
you know, twenty twenty three to twenty twenty four. If
you break that down, right, that's roughly forty four dollars
every second. So just just think about how much money
(17:44):
he's made during this conversation, right while we have members.
You know, you don't have to be struggling.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
You know, Isaac, that's an interesting stat You don't have
to convince me on that. So now my question that
I want to get to is if the average hotel
workers and somewhere in the twenties, I'm just gonna round
it and say, twenty five dollars.
Speaker 4 (18:04):
An hour, what is the You said you want a record.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
Increase, which which I respect, uh, in which the hotel
should respect. How much is the is the union asking for?
And is the hotel at least responding with a counteroffer
or are they just just sitting across the table and
offering nothing back.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
I mean, the hotel's counter offers have been like very disrespectful.
You know, some of the counter offers that they have
that they have offered actually amount to a paid decrease
because we'd have to it would increase our how much
we pay for healthcare health Okay.
Speaker 4 (18:41):
I get that. I get that. So what what are
you guys looking for?
Speaker 3 (18:44):
And I and I'm not sure what What is the
normal term of a contract? It is normally a three
year contract or a four year contract. What's the normal
contract length?
Speaker 1 (18:54):
So our contract is roughly four years? Okay, but like
like we talked about earlier, we've had the contract we
have for a little bit longer since it was since
we got an extension during com I got it.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
I got it.
Speaker 3 (19:06):
So will this contract go forwards four years for you?
Or will it be retroactive for a couple of years
and only go forward two years?
Speaker 1 (19:16):
No, So the way that the contract works is that
when we sign it, if so, we're on strike now,
our contract's been up for like a month now, right,
so when we go back every day that we worked,
we're going to get every day that we worked without
the updated contract. We'll get some retro for that.
Speaker 4 (19:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
So it's retroactive to the day when the contract expired,
which is a month ago, is what you're telling me.
So therefore, when the contract is reached, it will cover
you for the next four years approximately. So come back
to what you talked about. How did you guys want
to have a record.
Speaker 4 (19:52):
Raise?
Speaker 3 (19:54):
What's the how much are you looking for that you
feel would be fair over a period of four years.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
Yeah, I'm not really I deliver you to say that
right now, but like I said, it's a record increase.
It would be the most that we've ever it would
be the most that the local has ever achieved in
a contract fight. And like I said, it's it's necessary,
you know, like, and I know you're not.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
I'm actually try understand help you, Isaac. I'm actually trying
to help you make your case here. So so if
you're saying it's a record increase, I'm betting that you're
talking about over the course of the contract probably somewhere
close to thirty percent at least.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
Yeah, I mean, yeah, something in that ballpark range.
Speaker 4 (20:43):
But yeah, that's what I'm you know, I've been around.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
I'm not the numbest guy in the world, so I
can figure that one out. And that would be a
that's a healthy raise, but it's over the course of
four years.
Speaker 4 (20:54):
It's not thirty percent immediately.
Speaker 3 (20:57):
It's over the you know, it's staggered in whether it's
seven and eight, seven and eight or whatever, they would
get you to that thirty percent. And you know, if
you look at what room rates were six years ago
compared to what they are today, I think you could
make that analogy isaink is what I'm trying to say
to you that if they were charging two hundred dollars
(21:17):
for a room at these hotels five years ago and
now they're charging five hundred dollars, that's a hell of
it increase, you.
Speaker 4 (21:24):
Know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
No, yeah, and so so I think that's why I
brought that that in, right, So like what we would get,
would you know, it's it's still less than what this
man would be making every second.
Speaker 3 (21:37):
So yeah again, But you know that argument is as
a member of the public, that argument is le in
just to make it personal. That's less convincing to me
because if you're somebody who has invested your money in
one of these big hotel chains or whatever, you know
they make big bucks. It's like you know the you
know the guy that show, Hey Tani the Dodgers. He's
(22:02):
a big superstar. So he's making seven hundred million dollars
over ten years or what.
Speaker 4 (22:07):
You know. It's it's money that you and I can't
even comprehend.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
It's stratospheric, okay, because he can do something that that
most people can't, you know, hit fifty home runs and
pitched and all of that. Let's take a break. Let's
see what people have to say about the contract. I
got to tell you, I have a lot of empathy
for union people who are doing this sort of work
(22:31):
because when I go to a hotel, whether it's in
Boston or somewhere else, I want that room to be clean.
When I have a meal at the hotel, I want
to make sure that the meal is as good as
it can be. I'm sure you're a very good cook,
and you should be compensated fairly for what for what
you do, particularly in the context of what the corporations
(22:52):
can charge for the hotel guests who are in effect
paying the bills. So I'm not in any way, shape
or form adversarial to you. I want you to understand
that I'm just asking questions. So that people will understand
the situation that that you're, your colleagues, and the picket
line find themselves and we'll take a break. Isaac, if
(23:12):
people would like to call in and talk about it.
Six one, seven, two, five, four ten thirty six one seven,
nine three, one ten thirty. My name is Dan Ray.
This is Nightside. I think it's important to get this
stuff out in front of people so they understand that
this is story. This is a story that affects real
people who are actually working and doing jobs that are
(23:34):
critical to the hotel industry. Back on Nightside with my
guest right after this. His name is Isaac smith Kawa.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
Back after this, It's Nightside with Dan Ray on w
Boston's news radio.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
We're talking about the Boston hotel workers strike. My guest
is Isaac smith Kawa. He is a cook at the
Omni Seaport Hotel and we have been trying to explain
and I've been trying to understand better, uh, exactly what
is at stake here. I'm assuming, Isaac that the inflation
(24:10):
of the last four years or three and a half
years up was of twenty percent has hurt your hotel,
your colleagues and on the picket line as well as
most Americans, because when I go to the grocery store,
and I do go to the grocery store, everything is
so much more expensive right now than it was four
(24:33):
years ago. And I assume it has to be really
tough on people who are not, you know, making a
whole lot of money, but they're putting in a good
day's work, meaning your hotel workers.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
Yeah, Inflation, I mean, like you said, inflation is hitting
everyone in this country like very hard, and it's you know,
it's we're all we And the way I see it
is that everyone's at a point where, you know, we
can't handle it anymore. Everyone we everyone needs more money,
and everyone's struggling to pay the rent. Everyone's struggling to
(25:07):
get food at the grocery store. And me and my
brothers and sisters in the union are just lucky to
be in a position where, you know, we have the
backing of a union and we can exercise our rights
to collective action and take it into our own hands.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
You know what I'm you know, what I'm saying to you, Isaac,
is when you and I go to the grocery store
and we see a you know, a dozen eggs that
you know, a couple of years ago might have cost
a buck ninety nine, uh and are now costing four
thirty nine. Or you know a box of cookies that
(25:42):
would have been two ninety nine or now for ninety nine.
The folks who's the billionaire that owns the hotel? That
doesn't impact them, I mean it impacts it.
Speaker 4 (25:53):
They notice it.
Speaker 3 (25:54):
It's like it's like someone, you know, the mosquito bite
on an elephant, but it you know, for your for
your colleagues, uh, and for most people, uh, that that
takes a big bite out of your paycheck. Let's see
if we get some phone calls. You're going to start
it off with Paul, who's calling in from Nantasket. Paul,
Welcome to Night Side, and we're on with hotel worker
(26:17):
on strike, Isaac Smith Colwall.
Speaker 6 (26:19):
Go right ahead, Paul, Hey, Dan, how you doing good?
Speaker 4 (26:22):
Sir?
Speaker 1 (26:23):
Good?
Speaker 6 (26:24):
So he sounds like it doesn't want to give you
an ant. It sounds like Kamela Harris actually doesn't want
to give you.
Speaker 4 (26:30):
That's not fair way he gave me an answery.
Speaker 3 (26:32):
You know, I know that he's he's limited in terms
of what he can he can express. But but I
I asked him what they workers were making on average,
that's an average, and he said, you know, somewhere in
the twenties dollars an hour.
Speaker 4 (26:46):
And and I asked him about.
Speaker 3 (26:48):
What they're looking for, uh, in terms of compensation over
the course of a he told me that they normally
negotiate a four year packed and I, you know, he
did say they looking for a record raise, and I
suspect that it'd be somewhere, you know, in the thirty
percent or more area. And he acknowledged that. I'm you know,
and so I you know, they're in it. He's limited
(27:10):
a little bit what he can say. What what's your
question for him, Paul? I mean, don't don't, Paul, don't
what hold in business?
Speaker 6 (27:18):
And if I go up my rates so much, you
don't get the business like you're supposed to get. So
some of these rooms are going to you know, they
will two or three hundred. Now they're going to be
five or six hundred. The guy didn't go up in
the rates because because he just wanted to go up.
He went up in the rates because everything around him
is costing the money. So you're going to give it
the own a little credit, so you know sometimes the
(27:40):
prices that that charge based on what it costs to
run the place, the taxes, the stuffy.
Speaker 4 (27:51):
Paul hold on, I'm I'm I'm listening what you're saying.
But I wanted to stand where you're coming from. Uh,
And I said, you can participate.
Speaker 3 (27:58):
Here if you want at any At any point, my
point was.
Speaker 4 (28:02):
Was this ball that this union.
Speaker 3 (28:06):
They had their last contract settled in twenty eighteen, and
it's a four year deal, so it should have been
negotiated in twenty twenty two because but because COVID was
still going on, the union agreed to extend the contract
without a raise for two years.
Speaker 4 (28:24):
So now they're they're basically trying to say, hey, we've
been a raised in six years.
Speaker 3 (28:31):
Hotel rates have gone up during those six years, and
yet what the un, what the union members have been.
Speaker 4 (28:36):
Paid, hasn't gone up.
Speaker 3 (28:38):
That's that's what I think the union's saying. Am I correct,
Isaac or no? If I'm wrong?
Speaker 1 (28:42):
Correct, No, that's no, that's one hundred percent. And also
you point to the room like the room rates going
up to adjust the to help with the cost of
covering stuff. I mean, these room rates have gone up
In saying and insane amount. The hotels are making record
profits and we haven't gotten a raise. It's not it's
not to cover operation costs go into their pocket. So
(29:03):
it's like, why would I get Why would I give
them a little grace when they're making, like I said,
billions of dollars and me and my co workers can't
afford groceries. Why why would I give grace to that?
Would you give grace to that?
Speaker 6 (29:15):
And you're in the situation, well, none of us, none
of us can afford all these high prices. So it's
getting out of control. So I mean what I mean,
so why so why should we not?
Speaker 1 (29:27):
So? Why should we not? Why why should we not
fight to be able to afford it? Right? Like, if
you just said that I can afford it, right, well, the.
Speaker 3 (29:36):
One one at a time, Paul, let him finish and
I'll get you back.
Speaker 4 (29:39):
Are you finished, Isaac?
Speaker 1 (29:42):
Yeah, I'm just I'm just wondering, if you're saying that
that no one can afford these prices, why should we
not be fighting to be able to afford it. I'm
just confused as to where you're coming from. You're you're
defending very rich people who it doesn't affect and the
people who you're who you are sharing the same problem
with our standing up for ourselves and fighting to get
(30:02):
that raise, and you're over here criticizing. I just don't
understand it.
Speaker 4 (30:07):
Paul.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
Let me ask you a question if I could, in
all fairness and not too many wise guys. Are you
have you gotten a raise since twenty eighteen or no?
I have no idea what type of work you do.
Speaker 6 (30:16):
And it doesn't mean I got my own business. I'm
in construction, so I got my own business.
Speaker 1 (30:20):
But are you Let me.
Speaker 4 (30:22):
Let me ask you this. Are you?
Speaker 3 (30:24):
Are you earning more money this year than you were
in twenty eighteen? And again, you're working hard. I'm not
denying you that. Okay, you have a right with your
hard work to be compensated, you know more. Are you
making more now than you did in twenty eighteen?
Speaker 1 (30:39):
No?
Speaker 6 (30:40):
And the reason is the price of fuel, the price
of the costs of insurance, boot cross the shield, you go.
Those are all long profits that you just keep going
up every year. So everyone's you got to remember, everyone's
paying all these extra things. So I don't mind him
getting a raise. But I mean when he said record raise, record,
he did say.
Speaker 3 (30:59):
A record raise, but they haven't had a race for
six years. I don't know what in the what in
the past. If I could ask you, Isaac, what has
the union won for example, like in the again you
told me you weren't in the union in twenty eighteen,
but do you have any idea what they got in
the last contract with the union?
Speaker 1 (31:18):
So I can't speak exactly to the last contract, but
what I discussed earlier is like we won, we won
our good healthcare plan that was in two thousand and six.
I believe same with our pension plan. Right, So these
are these are you know these especially and this kid's
close to me because hits close to home for me,
(31:40):
especially as someone who works in the culinary industry, Like
I've never had like good insurance through a job. You know,
this is something that you were just talking about how
insurance detuctibles have gone up. This is something that you
know a lot of a lot of line cooks, a
lot of bartenders, a lot of servers have never had before. Right,
So we we we've we've achieved a lot in these
(32:01):
contracts and it's but it's a lot for us, and
it's basic basic privileges that a lot of other people
in this country and around the world get to enjoy it.
Speaker 3 (32:10):
So yeah, again, I want to give Paul a last
word here. Paul, I wasn't trying to catch you off.
I'm just where from where I'm sitting. I don't begrudge
the folks who are doing the hard work at the hotel.
Speaker 6 (32:24):
Arrays and means.
Speaker 3 (32:27):
I mean, one of the things that always I try
to do when I go to a hotel. You know,
when you check in and someone walks you through the room,
you're giving them a ten dollars tip or something, which
is fine, But when you leave, you know a lot
of people don't leave a few bucks on the table
for the for the person who's been cleaning the room
for two or three days, and that's a tougher job.
Speaker 6 (32:50):
You're gonna always have chisels, you know, I mean, the
people they just chisel everything. So you're not going to
have to stop those people anyway saying that sometimes they
don't want to leave, you know that it makes a
big difference.
Speaker 3 (33:04):
Well, what all I'm just saying is that that we
should appreciate. You know, many of these hotels you go into,
and their spectacular hotels, they charge a lot of money.
If you know, if you happen to be on the
corporate card and you travel and you you you know, you.
Speaker 4 (33:21):
Could afford them. It doesn't matter. You're not really paying
for the companies paying for them. I'm just saying we
should be fair to the workers as well. Paul.
Speaker 6 (33:29):
I give you a I'm always I'm fair to my workers.
I've had people here thirty forty years, they've been working.
How many people, Paul, workers?
Speaker 3 (33:38):
Paul, let me ask, I want to give you some credit.
How how many people do you employ?
Speaker 1 (33:42):
Well?
Speaker 6 (33:42):
Twenty, it's not bad.
Speaker 3 (33:44):
So you you provide a job for twenty people. I'll
ask you this question, Paul, who's the last person that
gets paid every every week or every other week in
your company? I bet I know what the answer is?
Speaker 6 (33:57):
Me me, because that will take a check some weeks
to make sure everyone gets paid.
Speaker 3 (34:05):
Yeah, there are friends of mine who are in business
and they are always the last ones who get paid
because you got to pay the workers. And that's a sexual.
Speaker 1 (34:16):
Go ahead, Isaac, Yeah, that's uh. I mean you you
said it beautifully. That's exactly what I'm saying. See like that.
I have respect for you. Paul. You're a small business owner,
and you're you're out here taking hits, not even taking
a check some week to make sure that your workers
are getting fairly compensated and getting paid. Right. So the
person who owns my hotel would never even think of
(34:37):
doing something like that, right, That's why we're out here,
because we've been trying to negotiate a fair raise and
fair rates for like almost the better part of a
year now. Like, I don't want to be out here
banging the drum in the cold, right, I'd rather be
doing what I love, cooking for the guests, making people happy. Right.
But at the end of the day, you gotta you gotta,
(34:59):
you gotta stand up for something or your fault for anything,
and clothes mouts don't get fed. That's that's all it is,
all right.
Speaker 6 (35:05):
Hey, Yeah, did the workers ever think of, oh, the
union ever think of even taking a hotel and try
and running yourself.
Speaker 1 (35:15):
I mean, I'm not the president of the union, so
I can't really answer that. I think it'd be a
good idea.
Speaker 6 (35:21):
Yeah, Sometimes sometimes the work is gonna get together and say, hey,
let's try to run it ourselves, and you really see
how it is to run sometimes, But you know, it's
business is tough, and we haven't recovered from the pandemic.
And uh, the pandemic cause a lot of people kill
the hotels. They lost a lot of money in those days,
and they're trying to probably make the recovery now. But
(35:44):
those days he had, the guy you worked for, he
might have lost a lot of money in them days
and days. Also, don't forget look at this.
Speaker 1 (35:51):
Whether it seems like the eightiest richest person in the country,
he's not hurting.
Speaker 3 (35:56):
You can learn, gentleman, I got I gotta make some
money and take a commerce shall break here.
Speaker 1 (36:01):
Hey, hey, we're talking about money, make yours.
Speaker 6 (36:04):
Broy That was a great talk, I tell you, that's
all I like to hear. And I'm I'm with you, guys.
I hope you get a raise, but you know, maybe
you should get to a point where you know you
can get back to work. And everyone tries to get
a little little money and uh, and you're gonna keep
you said. The city just they just want to they
want to change the tax rate. They want to charge
(36:25):
like hotels more than they chadge the regular homeowner, you know,
who owns a house. So the city of Boston's not
not coroporating with a lot of the businesses either.
Speaker 3 (36:36):
By the way, just for the record, the company that
owns the Omni Hotels, it's called t RT Holdings. It's
a private holding company based in Dallas, Texas that owns
hotel chain Omni Hotels origins behavioral healthcare and many investments
in other companies. Was founded in nineteen eighty nine. So
(36:58):
the it's funny here, I guess. In nineteen eighty three,
Dunfee Hotels acquired the small Atlanta based Omni International Hotels
chained from some other company called Cousin's Property. That chain
had been formed in seventy three and consisted of three
hotels in Atlanta, Norfolk, and Miami. So those hotels were
bought by Dunfie Hotels, which in turn must have been
(37:21):
bought by this big holding company TRT Holding. So it's
always interesting to drill down a little bit here and
find out, you know, who owns the hotel that you're
staying at.
Speaker 4 (37:32):
Hey, Paul, I enjoyed your phone call. I appreciate your calling.
Speaker 3 (37:34):
Both of you seem to have more in common I
think than either one of you realized. Thanks Paul, talk
to you Land. Thanks Thank you much. We will be
back with Isaac Smith CoA who is a chef at
the Omni Seaport Hotel. He and about seven hundred said
seven hundred at this point of thirteen hundred, it's thirteen hundred, right,
(37:55):
thirteen hundred hotel workers.
Speaker 4 (37:57):
Are on strike. This strike going to be delayed?
Speaker 3 (38:01):
Or are you staying out of the picket line until
this this situation is resolved.
Speaker 1 (38:07):
Hey, I'm gonna do what needs to be done.
Speaker 4 (38:09):
Man, you know, just tell me what, tell me what
is the plant? If the plant's published.
Speaker 1 (38:14):
That's what I'm saying. I'm out. I'm out here for
the long haul. Man. I'm out here until I get
what's mine. I'm gout.
Speaker 4 (38:19):
I'm out to get. What I'm saying is that position?
Is that the position of the union is what I'm because.
Speaker 1 (38:25):
Yeah, we yeah, we we authorize the open ended strikes.
Like enough.
Speaker 3 (38:31):
You know what all I'm trying to do is tell
your story. Man, Just you know, I think you're suspicious
of me. I'm actually trying to help you out. We'll
take a quick break. My name is Dan Raid. This
is Nightside. If you'd like to join the conversation. Six
months seven, two thirty six, seven, nine, three, one, ten
thirty back on night Side after this.
Speaker 2 (38:49):
Live from the Window World Nights SIEN Studios, I'BZ News Radio.
Speaker 4 (38:54):
Well, as often happens the lines of packs.
Speaker 3 (38:56):
So we're going to try to get a couple of
you in, but those who called late, we may not
make it. John and Salem, I'm not sure John, if
it's Salem mass So Salem new him to go ahead, John.
Speaker 7 (39:07):
Yeah, how you doing so much? I give all my
respect to the unions as well, and I was a
union worker before, but something happened to me that today
when I was driving downtown Boston, I heard the chant
one job for all, and I started listening to what
that really meant. And I started talking to people, and
they seem to be offended that they have to go
(39:29):
out and work another job at night to make ends meet,
and they want to be able to make a living
wage and support the family on just eight hours a day.
And all of a sudden, I broke down crying because
I watched my father come home from his day job
at a hot leather factory, then go out at night
and work, and then have my mother work all night
long just to make ends meet, and we're talking about
(39:50):
the sixties and seventies, and that's what we're going to do.
That's what we've got to respect each other for.
Speaker 4 (39:55):
Okay, John, I appreciate your perspective.
Speaker 6 (40:00):
You but you gotta do what you gotta do.
Speaker 4 (40:03):
Thank you, John, appreciate you calling.
Speaker 3 (40:05):
Thank you very much. Let me go to another John.
This John's in Boston, John, and Boston got to be quick.
You've called in really late.
Speaker 8 (40:13):
Go ahead, John, all right, thanks sn Yeah, I just
wondered about I mean, you guys are trying to get
the piece of the pie things like. To me, the
issue is universal healthcare, not worrying about you know, AARP
fights for against poverty in old age under earning a
(40:34):
social security system that is fairer than it is now.
They're getting a raise, it's not going to be that
much at all. So anyway, those are just some thought.
Speaker 4 (40:45):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (40:45):
You know in.
Speaker 8 (40:46):
Europe you get three quarters of what you were making
when you quit when you retire. I mean, here you
fall way down this systemic and it's just this isn't
the answer, I don't think. But anyway, thank you.
Speaker 4 (40:59):
Okay, thank you. John Well said we could have gotten
one more in but that's okay. We're kind of up
against it right now, Isaac. Best of luck with the strike.
Speaker 3 (41:08):
Feel free to keep us posted on you how you're
doing here. I'm going to ask you one final question.
If you give me a quick answer, that'd be great.
If you can't, no problem. What do you think overall
the overall salary is for a hotel worker in greater Boston,
in Boston within your union? Are we talking about someone
(41:31):
making thirty thousand a year thirty five thousand a year?
What do you think the salary the overall salary is unaverage?
Speaker 1 (41:38):
I honestly don't have an average off the top of
my head. Man, I'm sorry about that.
Speaker 4 (41:42):
Not even not even a guess.
Speaker 1 (41:46):
I mean, I know what I make, but I'm not
really in other people's pockets like that.
Speaker 4 (41:49):
What do you how much do you make as a cook?
Speaker 1 (41:51):
Hey, you'll got to worry about that, bro.
Speaker 4 (41:56):
Do me a favor.
Speaker 3 (41:57):
Well, if you don't want to answer question, and you know,
I'm really not your bro, I'm just trying to ask
and help you out here and develop some I think
when you don't answer questions like that, people become somewhat suspicious.
Speaker 4 (42:08):
So look, thanks for doing it. I tried to help
you as much as I could.
Speaker 3 (42:12):
I wish you had been a little more forthcoming with me,
because I think you would have won the support of
a lot more people in all honesty, but thanks very
much for being on.
Speaker 1 (42:21):
Yeah, thanks for having me Dan. It was a great conversation.
Speaker 3 (42:24):
Yep, right back at you have a good one. All right,
here comes here eleven o'clock news. We will talk about
it on the other side.
It's with Dan Ray.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
I'm telling Boston.
Speaker 3 (00:05):
Radio, all right, there is a big, big strike going
on at several Boston hotels, a very public strike at
some of the city's most expensive hotels. And I've read
a lot about the strike, but today I thought it
(00:26):
would be good to talk to a member of the
union to find out what's at stake there. There seems
to be some legitimate claims that these strikers, these these
union members have I've never spoken with my guest before.
I think he's busy today on the picket line. I
(00:47):
want to welcome Isaac smith Kauer. He is a cook
at the Omni Boston Seaport Hotel. Isaac, welcome to Nightside.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
How are you, sir, I'm not doing too bad. How
about yourself?
Speaker 4 (00:58):
Then, well I'm you and fine.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
You guys got a strike on your hands, so I
want to know a little more about it, just to
introduce it to the audience. Our reporters were out there
today and I just want to play one of the
reports that Hyle Shaffle filed just as a table cetter.
So just hang with us for one minute.
Speaker 4 (01:23):
Here.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
We'll listen to cut number twenty three and I'll be
right back with you. ISAA cut number twenty.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
Three sounds good?
Speaker 5 (01:29):
Close to seven hundred Omni Parker workers walking off the job.
Boston sotel strike is more than doubled overnight.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
You know, everything is cruently Expensive'll pay the rent, pay
the billst and and everybody to.
Speaker 5 (01:40):
God is fight marta housekeeper joined dozens of our coworkers
at the Seaport Omnium to demand a contract and higher wages.
Your night here Local twenty six President Carlos Rmios, there's
a pay month for the workers. Will mean the difference
between staying in Boston and being forced out.
Speaker 4 (01:56):
If they keep saying make them pay, make them pay.
Speaker 5 (01:58):
They're demanding at the hotels step forward and reach a
contract that gives them significant ways increases. Another housekeeper I
talked to was I rate over needed to work multiple
jobs just to cover rent.
Speaker 4 (02:08):
You cannot leave with just one job, just one job
should be none.
Speaker 5 (02:13):
There's no end insight to the strike, and union leaders
say more hotels could be added at any time. Kyle
Shaffle to Beds Boston's News Radio.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
All right, so that's sort of a table set of
for this, But let's go back in a little bit
of history here I guess the union came to an agreement.
Speaker 4 (02:32):
It was the twenty eighteen was the last time a
contract was signed.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Uh, yeah, that's correct. That's actually before I was in
the union though I'm a baby union member. But yeah,
so this is my this is my first contract fight.
But yeah, it's been it's been a while.
Speaker 4 (02:50):
Sure, okay, no problem.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
Hey none of us were alive when George Washington was
the first president, but we all know about that, so
no problem.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
So that's right.
Speaker 3 (02:59):
Is mine standing is that when the contract expired, it
was during the time of COVID, and that there was
an agreement to extend the contract for a couple of years.
I just want to make sure, just in terms of
setting the the history here that I'm fairly close to accurate.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
Is that true as you as you understand.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
It now, that that is true as I understand it.
We came to an agreement with the hotels to you know,
kind of maintain, maintain our contract and our benefits, but
not push for two more because you know, you can't.
You couldn't stay there at a hotel during a during
the global pandemic. It was not a good time for travel.
Speaker 4 (03:37):
Tough time.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Yeah, So now the hotel.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Now that crisis seems to have passed, okay, and the
hotels are back pretty full.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
How many union.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Members does Local twenty six represent in Boston? And is
it every hotel or just certain hotels that have the
union membership the members have decided to join the union.
It's not every hotel in Boston, correct.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
So no, it's not every We represent a lot of
the hotels in Boston. And I honestly can't say exactly
how many members you represent. I do know that right
now there are about thirteen hundred of us striking. But yeah,
it's not every hotel is union. We represent most of
(04:26):
the hotels in the city, though, And it is just
about it is about, you know, having a union is
in the hands of the people. So it's about who
you know signs up and works for. Is it works
with us and votes for the union? You know what
I mean?
Speaker 4 (04:40):
Yeah, absolutely so, so my understanding.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
And again I've followed this from Afar and that's why
I appreciate you being on tonight because it'll give us
a better sense of what's going on. That the union
has taken a couple of steps excuse me there, taken
a couple of steps over the last few weeks, in
the last couple of months to I want to bring
this work issue out into public and for a while
(05:06):
certain hotels there were work stoppages, but this activity of
the last couple of days has intensified. So how many hotels,
how many how many hotels employees or unions at how
many hotels were on we're on strike today on the
picket line? Is it four that were that were that
(05:26):
were impacted today?
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Yes, so there's uh, there's four hotels on strike today.
It's both of the Omnis and two of the two
of the Hiltons that are on hotel and it's about
thirteen hundred members out right now. I was on the
picket line earlier today. You know, there's it's always a
good time at the Omni Seaport picket line. We keep it,
we keep we keep it lit over there.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
Yeah, okay, So what has been the reaction of Obviously
most of the people at the Omni Seaport are not
your average Bostonians. There are people who are come here
to attend an event or for business purposes or to
become tourists. Are you getting support, you know, at least
verbal support from from people who are checking into the hotels.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
Yeah, you know, it's a mixed bag. There's definitely people
who I've definitely seen a lot of support from a
lot of people. I've personally talked to people saying that,
you know, we're fighting a good fight. This is where
it starts. Stuff like that, you know, But also, and
I don't One of the things that I want to
make clear is that you know, this strike is not
(06:34):
against the guests, it's against the hotel. So I do feel.
I feel very bad when you know, I see I
see we're making noise and like, you know, I see
a kid covering their ears, I see people who haven't
slept very well. But you know, because I'm not in
hospitality to not get to not make people feel good,
(06:55):
you understand me, Like, like I care about the customers,
I care about the guests, right, So it's rough to see.
And so I understand people being annoyed. You know, they
spend so much money on these rooms. You know, we
had a woman, we had a woman come talk to
us today talking about she was spending nearly nine hundred
dollars a night and could and had never crossed the
(07:16):
picket line in her life and didn't want to. It
was very very apologetic about it. You know, so I
understand people being upset and mad, But what people need
to understand and realize at the end of the day
is that we're not try We don't want to be
out here ruining people's stay. We don't want to be
out here disturbing people's stay. We would love to be
in there providing the amazing service that you know, I
(07:37):
know that me and my coworkers delivered. We'd much rather
be doing that. But we're just at a point where
it's like, if we this is what it takes for
the company to even listen to us. You know, they
we we've we've been open negotiations since April, and you know,
we've seen very little movement forward on the on the
part of the companies.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
When we get back, Isaac would have liked to talk
to you about and again, I don't know how much
how specific you can be, but I'd love to find
out a little bit about what the current wages are,
if the wages differentiated between I understand you're a cook,
if I'm not mistaken, correct, Yeah, okay, so I don't
(08:19):
know if you're compensated more than all other union members,
if the compensation depends upon what job you feel or
whether or not it's across the board, And what are
the requests that the union is making, which I'm sure
you believe are more than reasonable. And how close you
are to this this weekend. Someone reminded me today that
(08:42):
is the head of the Child's weekend, and so there
are a lot of people coming into Boston, and if
the strike is still going on this weekend, that's going
to have a real impact on the hotels. And I
think that the pressure that you're bringing to bear may
may help cause the strike to be to be finished.
(09:03):
I'm sure you'd prefer to be in the hotel then
on the picket line. We'll take a we'll take a break.
My guest right now is a member of the Boston
Hotel union that is on strike. It's Unite here Local
twenty six, Isaac Smith Kawa, a cook at the Omni
Boston Seaport Hotel. I've read a lot a lot about this,
(09:25):
and I'm hoping that Isaac will be able to share
some of the specifics and how far apart everyone is here.
I haven't talked to him earlier today because he was
on the picket line. So I'm asking him questions that
this has not been These are not prepared questions that
I've submitted. I'm really just a search for information, and
(09:46):
I think Isaac's been pretty forthcoming so far, and I
hope will continue to be.
Speaker 4 (09:49):
We'll be back on Nightside. If you'd like to.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Join the conversation, feel free six one seven, two, five,
four ten thirty or six one seven, nine three one
ten thirty. My name is Dan Roy and this is
night Side.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World
night Side Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
My guest is Isaac Smith cow Op. He is a
cook in Boston, a member of the union that is
on strike here in the city, has been on strike
for some time now. He's a cook at the Army
Boston Seaport Hotel. So, so, Isaac, a couple of questions,
if I could. Everyone's in the union, but are people
(10:30):
treated differently by the hotels? Are there, for example, the
cooks make more money than the folks who are outside,
or you know, the luggage people or the desk people.
Who does the union cover at a hotel? At the
hotels here in Boston where you have organized how many
different positions, do you folks represent.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
You know, it's it depends hotel to hotel. Certain hotels
are every department is unionized, hotel not. Not every department
is unionized, but they do have the ability to sign
cards and join the union. So it's really it's really
kind of case by case. It depends on the way
(11:13):
the individual contract is written.
Speaker 3 (11:16):
Okay, so as a cook, as a cook, do you
earn more money as a cook than let's say, someone
who's on the the cleaning staff, the folks who do
the very important work of cleaning rooms and getting them ready,
you know, fresh and clean for new guests, or is
(11:37):
there a discrepancy there or does everyone make the same
amount of money based upon how long they've worked at
the hotel.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
Everyone's compensated very similarly. And I'd also like to say that,
I mean, every job in the hotel is important. Every
every single every single worker functions to make that to make.
Speaker 4 (12:02):
If you get to the hotel and your room isn't
made up, you got to sit in the lobby and wait.
Or if you get to the.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
Room and the and the room hasn't been made up
or properly, and you know, you walk out of the
room and you say, I don't want to go in there.
So how far apart uh all is the union from
the hotels. I assume the hoteltels that you manage your
negotiations with all the hotels together. You're not negotiating your
(12:29):
contract at the Omni Seaport, and someone else is in
some other group of is negotiating and contract at the
Omni Parker House, the the the Omni park Plaza. If
if I assume that it's a combined the uniony that
gets a contract and everybody goes back to work.
Speaker 4 (12:47):
It's not like they're gonna go hotel by hotel.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
So we are all standing in solidarity with each other,
but it's not exactly the same hotel the same contract
for each hotel. So, but what we are fighting for
is our five core demands, which is a record pay increase,
more than has ever been achieved in our locals history.
(13:11):
Another core demand is to maintain our health insurance at
the same price that it's at because you know, the
health insurance plan that we have has been hard fought
by union members even before me, and it's constantly under attack,
so we need to maintain that. We're looking to fix
the issue, fix the issues in housekeeping, because like you said,
(13:32):
the housekeepers are doing insanely important work without with with
no rooms, there's no hotels. And with the no housekeepers,
there's no rooms, and they have been overworked and overloaded
since since COVID, So we're looking to fix that. We're
looking to increase our pension so my older brothers and
(13:53):
sisters and siblings in the union are able to retire
with dignity. You know, they work hard to make sure
that every person who comes visit Boston is made to
feel special and care for, and they should be able
to they should be able to experience their golden years
with prosperity and dignity. And the last thing that we're
(14:14):
fighting for is our more control over the hiring practices
because the hotels have been understaffing since COVID. You know,
our staffing numbers are similar to COVID times, but you
know we don't have those restrictions no more, and we're
making way more money than they was making during COVID,
(14:36):
so there's no reason for that. And also a severance
deal to further protect the further protect our members if
they need to, if there's a situation where there are layoffs.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
Okay, so let's go all of those.
Speaker 3 (14:52):
Those concerns are vitally important, but at the core of
any contract negotiations always is going to be the money.
So give me, if you would, an approximation, you know,
an honest approximation. You seem like an honest guy. How
much does the average hotel worker who does all this
(15:14):
hard work, which includes again housekeeping, you know, cooking, making
sure that the food comes out on time and that
everyone's satisfied with their meals, to the people who greet
people at the door when they come in and carry
their luggage and make sure that they're well received. What
does the average hotel worker make at one of the
(15:34):
major hotels in Boston that's in the union. Approximately.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
I'm gonna tell you what it is, man, I'm gonna
tell you it's not enough, brother, Like at the end
of the day, like the majority of members all have
two jobs work amount of overtime.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
No, I understand that, and I respect that, but can
you give me a rough number? Is it ten dollars
an hour, twenty dollars an hour? What sort of a
range are we talking about here? Because I think it's
important for people to know that in a day when
you know, money doesn't go as far as it used to. Approximately,
what's what's the range that that the And I haven't
(16:10):
seen this in the in the newspapers, which is to
me frustrating because I want to know how strongly I
want to support the workers.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
Well, I mean you should just support the workers anyway.
Speaker 3 (16:23):
Right, No, I understand, I'll figure that out, Isaac. I'm
not being a wise guy. And if you don't want
to answer that question, that's fine, you can say that.
But I think it would be in the union's interest
if you said to me, hey, Dan, believe it or not,
the average person who works at one of these five
star hotels in Boston that we represented that we're striking.
Speaker 4 (16:42):
Against now makes X. Just to put it in terms
that people can understand.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
Well, I mean we're making you know, it's like around
twenty like the twenties area, you know. And I think
just to put in perspective, right like, uh, to speak
about the dude who owns my hotel, This is a
man whose net worth has gone up almost one and
a half billion dollars over the course of your hotel
(17:10):
three Robert Rolling, Robert Rolling, Right.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
Then I assume you work at the Omni seaports, So
that's who he's talking about.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Yeah, he is, he's the owner of all the Omni hotels. Well,
you know, this is a man, This is a man
whose net worth has gone up by almost one and
a half billion dollars right over the course of one year,
you know, twenty twenty three to twenty twenty four. If
you break that down, right, that's roughly forty four dollars
every second. So just just think about how much money
(17:44):
he's made during this conversation, right while we have members.
You know, you don't have to be struggling.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
You know, Isaac, that's an interesting stat You don't have
to convince me on that. So now my question that
I want to get to is if the average hotel
workers and somewhere in the twenties, I'm just gonna round
it and say, twenty five dollars.
Speaker 4 (18:04):
An hour, what is the You said you want a record.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
Increase, which which I respect, uh, in which the hotel
should respect. How much is the is the union asking for?
And is the hotel at least responding with a counteroffer
or are they just just sitting across the table and
offering nothing back.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
I mean, the hotel's counter offers have been like very disrespectful.
You know, some of the counter offers that they have
that they have offered actually amount to a paid decrease
because we'd have to it would increase our how much
we pay for healthcare health Okay.
Speaker 4 (18:41):
I get that. I get that. So what what are
you guys looking for?
Speaker 3 (18:44):
And I and I'm not sure what What is the
normal term of a contract? It is normally a three
year contract or a four year contract. What's the normal
contract length?
Speaker 1 (18:54):
So our contract is roughly four years? Okay, but like
like we talked about earlier, we've had the contract we
have for a little bit longer since it was since
we got an extension during com I got it.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
I got it.
Speaker 3 (19:06):
So will this contract go forwards four years for you?
Or will it be retroactive for a couple of years
and only go forward two years?
Speaker 1 (19:16):
No, So the way that the contract works is that
when we sign it, if so, we're on strike now,
our contract's been up for like a month now, right,
so when we go back every day that we worked,
we're going to get every day that we worked without
the updated contract. We'll get some retro for that.
Speaker 4 (19:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
So it's retroactive to the day when the contract expired,
which is a month ago, is what you're telling me.
So therefore, when the contract is reached, it will cover
you for the next four years approximately. So come back
to what you talked about. How did you guys want
to have a record.
Speaker 4 (19:52):
Raise?
Speaker 3 (19:54):
What's the how much are you looking for that you
feel would be fair over a period of four years.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
Yeah, I'm not really I deliver you to say that
right now, but like I said, it's a record increase.
It would be the most that we've ever it would
be the most that the local has ever achieved in
a contract fight. And like I said, it's it's necessary,
you know, like, and I know you're not.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
I'm actually try understand help you, Isaac. I'm actually trying
to help you make your case here. So so if
you're saying it's a record increase, I'm betting that you're
talking about over the course of the contract probably somewhere
close to thirty percent at least.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
Yeah, I mean, yeah, something in that ballpark range.
Speaker 4 (20:43):
But yeah, that's what I'm you know, I've been around.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
I'm not the numbest guy in the world, so I
can figure that one out. And that would be a
that's a healthy raise, but it's over the course of
four years.
Speaker 4 (20:54):
It's not thirty percent immediately.
Speaker 3 (20:57):
It's over the you know, it's staggered in whether it's
seven and eight, seven and eight or whatever, they would
get you to that thirty percent. And you know, if
you look at what room rates were six years ago
compared to what they are today, I think you could
make that analogy isaink is what I'm trying to say
to you that if they were charging two hundred dollars
(21:17):
for a room at these hotels five years ago and
now they're charging five hundred dollars, that's a hell of
it increase, you.
Speaker 4 (21:24):
Know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
No, yeah, and so so I think that's why I
brought that that in, right, So like what we would get,
would you know, it's it's still less than what this
man would be making every second.
Speaker 3 (21:37):
So yeah again, But you know that argument is as
a member of the public, that argument is le in
just to make it personal. That's less convincing to me
because if you're somebody who has invested your money in
one of these big hotel chains or whatever, you know
they make big bucks. It's like you know the you
know the guy that show, Hey Tani the Dodgers. He's
(22:02):
a big superstar. So he's making seven hundred million dollars
over ten years or what.
Speaker 4 (22:07):
You know. It's it's money that you and I can't
even comprehend.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
It's stratospheric, okay, because he can do something that that
most people can't, you know, hit fifty home runs and
pitched and all of that. Let's take a break. Let's
see what people have to say about the contract. I
got to tell you, I have a lot of empathy
for union people who are doing this sort of work
(22:31):
because when I go to a hotel, whether it's in
Boston or somewhere else, I want that room to be clean.
When I have a meal at the hotel, I want
to make sure that the meal is as good as
it can be. I'm sure you're a very good cook,
and you should be compensated fairly for what for what
you do, particularly in the context of what the corporations
(22:52):
can charge for the hotel guests who are in effect
paying the bills. So I'm not in any way, shape
or form adversarial to you. I want you to understand
that I'm just asking questions. So that people will understand
the situation that that you're, your colleagues, and the picket
line find themselves and we'll take a break. Isaac, if
(23:12):
people would like to call in and talk about it.
Six one, seven, two, five, four ten thirty six one seven,
nine three, one ten thirty. My name is Dan Ray.
This is Nightside. I think it's important to get this
stuff out in front of people so they understand that
this is story. This is a story that affects real
people who are actually working and doing jobs that are
(23:34):
critical to the hotel industry. Back on Nightside with my
guest right after this. His name is Isaac smith Kawa.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
Back after this, It's Nightside with Dan Ray on w
Boston's news radio.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
We're talking about the Boston hotel workers strike. My guest
is Isaac smith Kawa. He is a cook at the
Omni Seaport Hotel and we have been trying to explain
and I've been trying to understand better, uh, exactly what
is at stake here. I'm assuming, Isaac that the inflation
(24:10):
of the last four years or three and a half
years up was of twenty percent has hurt your hotel,
your colleagues and on the picket line as well as
most Americans, because when I go to the grocery store,
and I do go to the grocery store, everything is
so much more expensive right now than it was four
(24:33):
years ago. And I assume it has to be really
tough on people who are not, you know, making a
whole lot of money, but they're putting in a good
day's work, meaning your hotel workers.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
Yeah, Inflation, I mean, like you said, inflation is hitting
everyone in this country like very hard, and it's you know,
it's we're all we And the way I see it
is that everyone's at a point where, you know, we
can't handle it anymore. Everyone we everyone needs more money,
and everyone's struggling to pay the rent. Everyone's struggling to
(25:07):
get food at the grocery store. And me and my
brothers and sisters in the union are just lucky to
be in a position where, you know, we have the
backing of a union and we can exercise our rights
to collective action and take it into our own hands.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
You know what I'm you know, what I'm saying to you, Isaac,
is when you and I go to the grocery store
and we see a you know, a dozen eggs that
you know, a couple of years ago might have cost
a buck ninety nine, uh and are now costing four
thirty nine. Or you know a box of cookies that
(25:42):
would have been two ninety nine or now for ninety nine.
The folks who's the billionaire that owns the hotel? That
doesn't impact them, I mean it impacts it.
Speaker 4 (25:53):
They notice it.
Speaker 3 (25:54):
It's like it's like someone, you know, the mosquito bite
on an elephant, but it you know, for your for
your colleagues, uh, and for most people, uh, that that
takes a big bite out of your paycheck. Let's see
if we get some phone calls. You're going to start
it off with Paul, who's calling in from Nantasket. Paul,
Welcome to Night Side, and we're on with hotel worker
(26:17):
on strike, Isaac Smith Colwall.
Speaker 6 (26:19):
Go right ahead, Paul, Hey, Dan, how you doing good?
Speaker 4 (26:22):
Sir?
Speaker 1 (26:23):
Good?
Speaker 6 (26:24):
So he sounds like it doesn't want to give you
an ant. It sounds like Kamela Harris actually doesn't want
to give you.
Speaker 4 (26:30):
That's not fair way he gave me an answery.
Speaker 3 (26:32):
You know, I know that he's he's limited in terms
of what he can he can express. But but I
I asked him what they workers were making on average,
that's an average, and he said, you know, somewhere in
the twenties dollars an hour.
Speaker 4 (26:46):
And and I asked him about.
Speaker 3 (26:48):
What they're looking for, uh, in terms of compensation over
the course of a he told me that they normally
negotiate a four year packed and I, you know, he
did say they looking for a record raise, and I
suspect that it'd be somewhere, you know, in the thirty
percent or more area. And he acknowledged that. I'm you know,
and so I you know, they're in it. He's limited
(27:10):
a little bit what he can say. What what's your
question for him, Paul? I mean, don't don't, Paul, don't
what hold in business?
Speaker 6 (27:18):
And if I go up my rates so much, you
don't get the business like you're supposed to get. So
some of these rooms are going to you know, they
will two or three hundred. Now they're going to be
five or six hundred. The guy didn't go up in
the rates because because he just wanted to go up.
He went up in the rates because everything around him
is costing the money. So you're going to give it
the own a little credit, so you know sometimes the
(27:40):
prices that that charge based on what it costs to
run the place, the taxes, the stuffy.
Speaker 4 (27:51):
Paul hold on, I'm I'm I'm listening what you're saying.
But I wanted to stand where you're coming from. Uh,
And I said, you can participate.
Speaker 3 (27:58):
Here if you want at any At any point, my
point was.
Speaker 4 (28:02):
Was this ball that this union.
Speaker 3 (28:06):
They had their last contract settled in twenty eighteen, and
it's a four year deal, so it should have been
negotiated in twenty twenty two because but because COVID was
still going on, the union agreed to extend the contract
without a raise for two years.
Speaker 4 (28:24):
So now they're they're basically trying to say, hey, we've
been a raised in six years.
Speaker 3 (28:31):
Hotel rates have gone up during those six years, and
yet what the un, what the union members have been.
Speaker 4 (28:36):
Paid, hasn't gone up.
Speaker 3 (28:38):
That's that's what I think the union's saying. Am I correct,
Isaac or no? If I'm wrong?
Speaker 1 (28:42):
Correct, No, that's no, that's one hundred percent. And also
you point to the room like the room rates going
up to adjust the to help with the cost of
covering stuff. I mean, these room rates have gone up
In saying and insane amount. The hotels are making record
profits and we haven't gotten a raise. It's not it's
not to cover operation costs go into their pocket. So
(29:03):
it's like, why would I get Why would I give
them a little grace when they're making, like I said,
billions of dollars and me and my co workers can't
afford groceries. Why why would I give grace to that?
Would you give grace to that?
Speaker 6 (29:15):
And you're in the situation, well, none of us, none
of us can afford all these high prices. So it's
getting out of control. So I mean what I mean,
so why so why should we not?
Speaker 1 (29:27):
So? Why should we not? Why why should we not
fight to be able to afford it? Right? Like, if
you just said that I can afford it, right, well, the.
Speaker 3 (29:36):
One one at a time, Paul, let him finish and
I'll get you back.
Speaker 4 (29:39):
Are you finished, Isaac?
Speaker 1 (29:42):
Yeah, I'm just I'm just wondering, if you're saying that
that no one can afford these prices, why should we
not be fighting to be able to afford it. I'm
just confused as to where you're coming from. You're you're
defending very rich people who it doesn't affect and the
people who you're who you are sharing the same problem
with our standing up for ourselves and fighting to get
(30:02):
that raise, and you're over here criticizing. I just don't
understand it.
Speaker 4 (30:07):
Paul.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
Let me ask you a question if I could, in
all fairness and not too many wise guys. Are you
have you gotten a raise since twenty eighteen or no?
I have no idea what type of work you do.
Speaker 6 (30:16):
And it doesn't mean I got my own business. I'm
in construction, so I got my own business.
Speaker 1 (30:20):
But are you Let me.
Speaker 4 (30:22):
Let me ask you this. Are you?
Speaker 3 (30:24):
Are you earning more money this year than you were
in twenty eighteen? And again, you're working hard. I'm not
denying you that. Okay, you have a right with your
hard work to be compensated, you know more. Are you
making more now than you did in twenty eighteen?
Speaker 1 (30:39):
No?
Speaker 6 (30:40):
And the reason is the price of fuel, the price
of the costs of insurance, boot cross the shield, you go.
Those are all long profits that you just keep going
up every year. So everyone's you got to remember, everyone's
paying all these extra things. So I don't mind him
getting a raise. But I mean when he said record raise, record,
he did say.
Speaker 3 (30:59):
A record raise, but they haven't had a race for
six years. I don't know what in the what in
the past. If I could ask you, Isaac, what has
the union won for example, like in the again you
told me you weren't in the union in twenty eighteen,
but do you have any idea what they got in
the last contract with the union?
Speaker 1 (31:18):
So I can't speak exactly to the last contract, but
what I discussed earlier is like we won, we won
our good healthcare plan that was in two thousand and six.
I believe same with our pension plan. Right, So these
are these are you know these especially and this kid's
close to me because hits close to home for me,
(31:40):
especially as someone who works in the culinary industry, Like
I've never had like good insurance through a job. You know,
this is something that you were just talking about how
insurance detuctibles have gone up. This is something that you
know a lot of a lot of line cooks, a
lot of bartenders, a lot of servers have never had before. Right,
So we we we've we've achieved a lot in these
(32:01):
contracts and it's but it's a lot for us, and
it's basic basic privileges that a lot of other people
in this country and around the world get to enjoy it.
Speaker 3 (32:10):
So yeah, again, I want to give Paul a last
word here. Paul, I wasn't trying to catch you off.
I'm just where from where I'm sitting. I don't begrudge
the folks who are doing the hard work at the hotel.
Speaker 6 (32:24):
Arrays and means.
Speaker 3 (32:27):
I mean, one of the things that always I try
to do when I go to a hotel. You know,
when you check in and someone walks you through the room,
you're giving them a ten dollars tip or something, which
is fine, But when you leave, you know a lot
of people don't leave a few bucks on the table
for the for the person who's been cleaning the room
for two or three days, and that's a tougher job.
Speaker 6 (32:50):
You're gonna always have chisels, you know, I mean, the
people they just chisel everything. So you're not going to
have to stop those people anyway saying that sometimes they
don't want to leave, you know that it makes a
big difference.
Speaker 3 (33:04):
Well, what all I'm just saying is that that we
should appreciate. You know, many of these hotels you go into,
and their spectacular hotels, they charge a lot of money.
If you know, if you happen to be on the
corporate card and you travel and you you you know, you.
Speaker 4 (33:21):
Could afford them. It doesn't matter. You're not really paying
for the companies paying for them. I'm just saying we
should be fair to the workers as well. Paul.
Speaker 6 (33:29):
I give you a I'm always I'm fair to my workers.
I've had people here thirty forty years, they've been working.
How many people, Paul, workers?
Speaker 3 (33:38):
Paul, let me ask, I want to give you some credit.
How how many people do you employ?
Speaker 1 (33:42):
Well?
Speaker 6 (33:42):
Twenty, it's not bad.
Speaker 3 (33:44):
So you you provide a job for twenty people. I'll
ask you this question, Paul, who's the last person that
gets paid every every week or every other week in
your company? I bet I know what the answer is?
Speaker 6 (33:57):
Me me, because that will take a check some weeks
to make sure everyone gets paid.
Speaker 3 (34:05):
Yeah, there are friends of mine who are in business
and they are always the last ones who get paid
because you got to pay the workers. And that's a sexual.
Speaker 1 (34:16):
Go ahead, Isaac, Yeah, that's uh. I mean you you
said it beautifully. That's exactly what I'm saying. See like that.
I have respect for you. Paul. You're a small business owner,
and you're you're out here taking hits, not even taking
a check some week to make sure that your workers
are getting fairly compensated and getting paid. Right. So the
person who owns my hotel would never even think of
(34:37):
doing something like that, right, That's why we're out here,
because we've been trying to negotiate a fair raise and
fair rates for like almost the better part of a
year now. Like, I don't want to be out here
banging the drum in the cold, right, I'd rather be
doing what I love, cooking for the guests, making people happy. Right.
But at the end of the day, you gotta you gotta,
(34:59):
you gotta stand up for something or your fault for anything,
and clothes mouts don't get fed. That's that's all it is,
all right.
Speaker 6 (35:05):
Hey, Yeah, did the workers ever think of, oh, the
union ever think of even taking a hotel and try
and running yourself.
Speaker 1 (35:15):
I mean, I'm not the president of the union, so
I can't really answer that. I think it'd be a
good idea.
Speaker 6 (35:21):
Yeah, Sometimes sometimes the work is gonna get together and say, hey,
let's try to run it ourselves, and you really see
how it is to run sometimes, But you know, it's
business is tough, and we haven't recovered from the pandemic.
And uh, the pandemic cause a lot of people kill
the hotels. They lost a lot of money in those days,
and they're trying to probably make the recovery now. But
(35:44):
those days he had, the guy you worked for, he
might have lost a lot of money in them days
and days. Also, don't forget look at this.
Speaker 1 (35:51):
Whether it seems like the eightiest richest person in the country,
he's not hurting.
Speaker 3 (35:56):
You can learn, gentleman, I got I gotta make some
money and take a commerce shall break here.
Speaker 1 (36:01):
Hey, hey, we're talking about money, make yours.
Speaker 6 (36:04):
Broy That was a great talk, I tell you, that's
all I like to hear. And I'm I'm with you, guys.
I hope you get a raise, but you know, maybe
you should get to a point where you know you
can get back to work. And everyone tries to get
a little little money and uh, and you're gonna keep
you said. The city just they just want to they
want to change the tax rate. They want to charge
(36:25):
like hotels more than they chadge the regular homeowner, you know,
who owns a house. So the city of Boston's not
not coroporating with a lot of the businesses either.
Speaker 3 (36:36):
By the way, just for the record, the company that
owns the Omni Hotels, it's called t RT Holdings. It's
a private holding company based in Dallas, Texas that owns
hotel chain Omni Hotels origins behavioral healthcare and many investments
in other companies. Was founded in nineteen eighty nine. So
(36:58):
the it's funny here, I guess. In nineteen eighty three,
Dunfee Hotels acquired the small Atlanta based Omni International Hotels
chained from some other company called Cousin's Property. That chain
had been formed in seventy three and consisted of three
hotels in Atlanta, Norfolk, and Miami. So those hotels were
bought by Dunfie Hotels, which in turn must have been
(37:21):
bought by this big holding company TRT Holding. So it's
always interesting to drill down a little bit here and
find out, you know, who owns the hotel that you're
staying at.
Speaker 4 (37:32):
Hey, Paul, I enjoyed your phone call. I appreciate your calling.
Speaker 3 (37:34):
Both of you seem to have more in common I
think than either one of you realized. Thanks Paul, talk
to you Land. Thanks Thank you much. We will be
back with Isaac Smith CoA who is a chef at
the Omni Seaport Hotel. He and about seven hundred said
seven hundred at this point of thirteen hundred, it's thirteen hundred, right,
(37:55):
thirteen hundred hotel workers.
Speaker 4 (37:57):
Are on strike. This strike going to be delayed?
Speaker 3 (38:01):
Or are you staying out of the picket line until
this this situation is resolved.
Speaker 1 (38:07):
Hey, I'm gonna do what needs to be done.
Speaker 4 (38:09):
Man, you know, just tell me what, tell me what
is the plant? If the plant's published.
Speaker 1 (38:14):
That's what I'm saying. I'm out. I'm out here for
the long haul. Man. I'm out here until I get
what's mine. I'm gout.
Speaker 4 (38:19):
I'm out to get. What I'm saying is that position?
Is that the position of the union is what I'm because.
Speaker 1 (38:25):
Yeah, we yeah, we we authorize the open ended strikes.
Like enough.
Speaker 3 (38:31):
You know what all I'm trying to do is tell
your story. Man, Just you know, I think you're suspicious
of me. I'm actually trying to help you out. We'll
take a quick break. My name is Dan Raid. This
is Nightside. If you'd like to join the conversation. Six
months seven, two thirty six, seven, nine, three, one, ten
thirty back on night Side after this.
Speaker 2 (38:49):
Live from the Window World Nights SIEN Studios, I'BZ News Radio.
Speaker 4 (38:54):
Well, as often happens the lines of packs.
Speaker 3 (38:56):
So we're going to try to get a couple of
you in, but those who called late, we may not
make it. John and Salem, I'm not sure John, if
it's Salem mass So Salem new him to go ahead, John.
Speaker 7 (39:07):
Yeah, how you doing so much? I give all my
respect to the unions as well, and I was a
union worker before, but something happened to me that today
when I was driving downtown Boston, I heard the chant
one job for all, and I started listening to what
that really meant. And I started talking to people, and
they seem to be offended that they have to go
(39:29):
out and work another job at night to make ends meet,
and they want to be able to make a living
wage and support the family on just eight hours a day.
And all of a sudden, I broke down crying because
I watched my father come home from his day job
at a hot leather factory, then go out at night
and work, and then have my mother work all night
long just to make ends meet, and we're talking about
(39:50):
the sixties and seventies, and that's what we're going to do.
That's what we've got to respect each other for.
Speaker 4 (39:55):
Okay, John, I appreciate your perspective.
Speaker 6 (40:00):
You but you gotta do what you gotta do.
Speaker 4 (40:03):
Thank you, John, appreciate you calling.
Speaker 3 (40:05):
Thank you very much. Let me go to another John.
This John's in Boston, John, and Boston got to be quick.
You've called in really late.
Speaker 8 (40:13):
Go ahead, John, all right, thanks sn Yeah, I just
wondered about I mean, you guys are trying to get
the piece of the pie things like. To me, the
issue is universal healthcare, not worrying about you know, AARP
fights for against poverty in old age under earning a
(40:34):
social security system that is fairer than it is now.
They're getting a raise, it's not going to be that
much at all. So anyway, those are just some thought.
Speaker 4 (40:45):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (40:45):
You know in.
Speaker 8 (40:46):
Europe you get three quarters of what you were making
when you quit when you retire. I mean, here you
fall way down this systemic and it's just this isn't
the answer, I don't think. But anyway, thank you.
Speaker 4 (40:59):
Okay, thank you. John Well said we could have gotten
one more in but that's okay. We're kind of up
against it right now, Isaac. Best of luck with the strike.
Speaker 3 (41:08):
Feel free to keep us posted on you how you're
doing here. I'm going to ask you one final question.
If you give me a quick answer, that'd be great.
If you can't, no problem. What do you think overall
the overall salary is for a hotel worker in greater Boston,
in Boston within your union? Are we talking about someone
(41:31):
making thirty thousand a year thirty five thousand a year?
What do you think the salary the overall salary is unaverage?
Speaker 1 (41:38):
I honestly don't have an average off the top of
my head. Man, I'm sorry about that.
Speaker 4 (41:42):
Not even not even a guess.
Speaker 1 (41:46):
I mean, I know what I make, but I'm not
really in other people's pockets like that.
Speaker 4 (41:49):
What do you how much do you make as a cook?
Speaker 1 (41:51):
Hey, you'll got to worry about that, bro.
Speaker 4 (41:56):
Do me a favor.
Speaker 3 (41:57):
Well, if you don't want to answer question, and you know,
I'm really not your bro, I'm just trying to ask
and help you out here and develop some I think
when you don't answer questions like that, people become somewhat suspicious.
Speaker 4 (42:08):
So look, thanks for doing it. I tried to help
you as much as I could.
Speaker 3 (42:12):
I wish you had been a little more forthcoming with me,
because I think you would have won the support of
a lot more people in all honesty, but thanks very
much for being on.
Speaker 1 (42:21):
Yeah, thanks for having me Dan. It was a great conversation.
Speaker 3 (42:24):
Yep, right back at you have a good one. All right,
here comes here eleven o'clock news. We will talk about
it on the other side.
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