Boston City Councilors to Call for Hearing to Investigate Worker Safety Concerns at Wyndham Hotel

For Immediate Release: June 1, 2015
Contact: Dan Sibor, (617) 635-4561
 
Statement from Boston City Councilors Josh Zakim, Ayanna Pressley, and Tim McCarthy on Health & Safety Hazards at the Wyndham Hotel
“We were shocked to learn about the unsafe working conditions facing staff at the Wyndham Boston Beacon Hill hotel, located at 5 Blossom Street and next to Massachusetts General Hospital.
“Boston is a global destination. We must ensure that the staff who take care of visitors to our City are protected and respected themselves. Moreover, we expect Boston’s hotels to follow the same safety and confidentiality protocols that protect patients when they stay at Boston’s world-class hospitals.”The inadequate protections for staff at the Wyndham against the risk of exposure to blood-borne pathogens is a health hazard. It is appalling that management of the Wyndham has not provided sufficient protection for workers who clean up blood and other bodily fluids, nor established a consistent procedure for disposal of needles and syringes.
“We believe it is our responsibility to protect Boston’s workers against health hazards at the Wyndham. As city representatives for this neighborhood, and as leaders of the Committee on Healthy Women, Families, & Communities, we must act. At this week’s Council meeting, we will call for a hearing to investigate how best to protect Boston workers from these potential health hazards, and whether sufficient safety protocols are in place to protect hospital patients who stay at Boston’s hotels.”

Channel 5: OSHA Investigating Boston Hotel After Staff Complaints

OSHA is investigating a Boston hotel after staff claims they were forced to regularly deal with bodily fluids and medical waste without proper equipment or training.

Governor Baker Appoints Local 26 President Brian Lang to MassDOT Board

Our President Brian Lang has been appointed by Governor Baker to serve on the MassDOT Board, which oversees the MBTA. From the Governor’s release:

After a harsh winter that impaired the MBTA and disrupted public transportation for commuters, Governor Baker appointed a special panel of transportation leaders to take a deep dive into the structural problems with the T and deliver recommendations for short and long term plans to improve our transit system.

Boston Globe article here.

Governor Baker’s press release here.

 

Emerson College Dining Services Workers Win First Union Contract

Organizing in University Food Service

Dining services workers at Emerson College in Boston celebrated the ratification of their first union contract Wednesday. The workers joined UNITE HERE Local 26 last fall after a campaign that rallied Emerson students and faculty. The four-year contract with food service provider Sodexo locks in wage increases for all workers of .75 cents a year, with some workers in some classifications receiving raises of up to $2 this year.

The contract will provide workers with a new higher-quality more-affordable healthcare plan, additional paid sick days, more full-time jobs, and a process to ensure workers are treated with dignity and respect.

“The work we do to feed the campus helps make Emerson strong. We are proud to be part of this community and to have stood together to win respect and a voice on the job,” said Bargaining Committee member and baker Donna Papastavrou.

Emerson College workers are the latest food service workers to join Boston’s Local 26, including workers at Harvard Law School, Lesley University, Mass Art, Mass Pharmacy, Northeastern University, Simmons College, Wentworth Institute of Technology, and Wheelock College

Harvard University students and dining hall workers rally for union contract

harvard-rally-4.28.15Harvard-Local26-crimson-01Workers who prepare food for Harvard students held a rally in Harvard Square Tuesday night. The workers, who are members of UNITE HERE Local 26, said it marked the beginning of activity aimed at securing a new union contract with the University.

Workers spoke about their pride in working for Harvard University, particularly in relationship to the students.

“It’s important to me that I make the students feel at home,” said Fatima Leighton, a dining room lead in Annenberg Hall. “My own daughter is in college now and I hope someone is taking care of her the way I take care of Harvard students.”

Workers spoke about the importance of maintaining affordable quality healthcare for them and their families.

“Now that I’m pregnant with my second daughter it’s a relief to have good health insurance,” said Harvard Kennedy School dining services worker Dianela Barros. “I can save money for my children’s future. I want them all to go to college!”

Concern was expressed about Harvard shifting healthcare costs onto the faculty members earlier this year.

“We have a lot of experience figuring out how to manage healthcare costs responsibly,” said UNITE HERE Local 26 President Brian Lang. “We have reached out to Harvard to begin a dialogue. We have not heard back yet.”