Layoffs could be ‘tip of the iceberg’ for hard-hit hotel industry

The plight of workers laid off from one of Boston’s priciest hotels could be the “tip of the iceberg” for an industry particularly hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic, warns one union leader.

“The hotel chose to kick them out onto the streets, not abiding by their severance agreement that they had in their employee handbook and telling them that if their jobs were recreated they’d have to reapply along with anybody else from the street. It’s a disgusting story, but the thing I fear more than anything is that this is the tip of the iceberg,” said Unite Here Local 26 President Carlos Aramayo during a press conference on Sunday. Aramayo was referring to layoffs at the Four Seasons Boston.

The hotel did not respond to a Herald request for comment.

Layoff notices continue to stack up among hotel workers, even as the industry was allowed to reopen last week as part of Gov. Charlie Bakers four-phase reopening plan. The American Hotel & Lodging Association estimates 17,847 of the roughly 32,000 hotel jobs in Massachusetts have been lost as result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Even as the state gradually restarts its shattered economy, many furloughed workers are losing their jobs permanently, state data reveals. Furloughs reported to the Department of Career Services in March as the economy shut down and hotels closed in an attempt to contain the virus are becoming permanent. Roughly 2,600 workers initially furloughed earlier this year are now permanently laid off, according to recent notifications

Among hotel layoffs reported in June, are 548 at the Sheraton Boston, 543 at the Boston Marriott Copley Place, another 348 at the Westin Copley Place Hotel and 249 at Boston Marriott Wharf. Each of those layoffs were effective mid-March.

Aramayo said the Four Seasons cut in half its staff and he’s “hearing rumors” other hotels are doing the same. According to the state report, the Four Seasons laid off 108 workers effective March 20.

“They threw us out the window without any regard for our families, without any regard for how hard we’ve worked,” Ricardo Mathelus said outside Sen. Ed Markey’s Malden home on Sunday. Mathelus was a 21-year employee of the Four Seasons.

Local 26 doesn’t represent Four Seasons employees, but Aramayo said the union is supporting workers.

Mass layoffs among hotel workers disproportionately affect black and brown residents, who make up a large portion of the hospitality workforce, Aramayo warned.

“This industry cannot use the pandemic to destroy jobs that create wealth for our community,” he said.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2zy56zt