Fenway Park Workers Travel to Liverpool in Support of Employment Dispute

Strategic Insights -

A group of workers from Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, have traveled to Liverpool to call on the city's football club owners, Fenway Sports Group (FSG), to support their employment dispute with Aramark, the company that handles food and beverages at the iconic ballpark. The workers, who are part of the UNITE HERE Local 26 union, are seeking better wages and an end to the potential use of automation in their roles. They have chosen Liverpool as the location for their campaign due to the city's strong union history and their hope that John Henry, the founder of FSG and owner of Liverpool FC, will intervene in the dispute. The workers plan to hand out leaflets around Anfield before Liverpool's opening game of the Premier League season, in a bid to draw attention to their cause.

Key Takeaways:

  • The workers are part of the UNITE HERE Local 26 union and are in dispute with Aramark over wages and the use of automation in their roles.
  • The workers are seeking significant increases in their wages, with some roles earning as little as $18 per hour, while others are earning upwards of $24 per hour.
  • The contract between the workers and Aramark has been expired since December 2022, with negotiations stalled and the workers working without a contract for over eight months.
  • The workers believe that having a presence in the city of Liverpool and at Anfield before Liverpool's opening game will draw attention to their cause and potentially lead to John Henry intervening in the dispute.
  • Charbel Salameh, a 28-year veteran of Fenway Park, emphasized the importance of the workers' campaign, stating: "We're hoping that being at Anfield will lead to John Henry coming out to settle this stalled contract negotiations we're in."
  • Austin Petruzziello, a vendor at Fenway Park, expressed his desire for higher wages and the elimination of automation from their roles, stating: "We need something, we want this contract settled - we want no automation, we want higher wages."
  • Aramark has stated that it remains committed to bargaining in good faith to reach a settlement that works for all parties.

Statistics:

  • The workers have been working without a contract for over eight months, since the contract expired in December 2022.
  • The wages for some roles at Fenway Park start at $18 per hour, with other roles earning upwards of $24 per hour.
  • The workers believe that the wages they currently earn are not keeping up with the cost of living in Boston.

Sources:

  • Charbel Salameh, 43, worker at Fenway Park
  • Austin Petruzziello, 29, vendor at Fenway Park
  • Aramark spokesperson
  • ECHO, "Fenway Park workers travel to Liverpool in support of employment dispute"