Omni Parker House and Omni Boston Seaport hotel workers reach tentative agreement to end strike

Workers at the Omni Parker House and the Omni Boston Seaport hotels are poised to end their strikes after reaching a tentative agreement with the company, the UNITE HERE Local 26 union announced Sunday.

The hotel workers at both Omni hotels are set to vote on a new contract on Monday.

The Omni Parker House and the Omni Boston Seaport union staff announced an open-strike nearly a week ago on Oct. 14, stating they had engaged in stalled contract negotiations with Omni Hotels and Resorts since April.

About 600 workers at two more Boston hotels, Hilton Boston Logan Airport and Hilton Boston Park Plaza, have been on strike since Oct. 6 and have not announced negotiation updates.

“Because a citywide strike has already been authorized by union members at Boston properties whose previous contracts expired on August 31st, workers from other UNITE HERE Local 26 properties may still go on strike at any time and for any duration,” the union stated again Sunday.

UNITE HERE Local 26 said Sunday the new Omni contract reaches their core demands, “including historic wage increases, the maintenance of workers’ healthcare benefits, and improved hiring and severance language.”

The picket lines at the Omni hotels were suspended after Local 26 and company reached the agreement, the union said. If workers vote to ratify the contract Sunday, they’ll return to work Monday at 4 a.m.

One Omni Parker House banquet server James “Smitty” Smith said meaningful raises, “a small piece of the pie,” were the most important aspect of the contract to him.

I’m glad that Omni came to the table in good faith and we finally reached an agreement,” said Smith. “But we’re not done until we’re all done, in Boston and everywhere else.”