Sports
Concessions workers at Fenway Park currently earn less than $20 an hour, and some have worked at the ballpark for decades, their union said.
Unionized concessions workers at Fenway Park and MGM Music Hall at Fenway might have their first labor strike next month, union representatives said.
More than 1,000 Aramark employees will hold a strike authorization vote from June 13 to 15, Unite Here Local 26 said in a statement. Beer sellers, cashiers, cooks, runners, servers, souvenir vendors, utility workers, and warehouse attendants are among the employees who might strike.
The workers’ union contract expired at the end of 2024, and though the union began bargaining with Aramark in early 2025, the two parties are “far apart on reaching agreement,” according to the statement.
“We intend to keep working with the union toward a settlement that works for everyone,” Chris Collom, vice president of corporate communications at Aramark, wrote in a statement to Boston.com. “In the event of a strike, we have contingency plans in place to ensure that services are not interrupted.”
Fenway concessions workers currently earn less than $20 an hour, a lower wage compared to similar jobs in other cities even though the cost of living is higher in Boston, the union said.
“Many of the workers started working at the ballpark as teenagers and have continued to work there for decades,” the union wrote in the statement. “They used to earn reasonable wages, but over the years their pay rates have not kept up with the rising cost of living in greater Boston.”
Workers say they want to fight for a pay increase and keep their jobs rather than working elsewhere because of the community that Fenway fosters.
“Fenway Park is part of Boston’s foundation. I like the purpose and camaraderie in my job. I’m known as the ‘David Ortiz of the warehouse,’” Ramon Suarez, a warehouse attendant, said in the statement. “Inside and outside the ballpark, people come and look for me, and I enjoy helping them out with a smile on my face.”
Many concessions workers at Fenway work two full-time jobs during baseball season and “routinely plan birthdays, christenings, even their own weddings” around the ballpark’s work schedule, according to Local 26.
“That’s where I met my husband, who also works there,” Laura Crystal, a full-time stand worker, said in the statement. Crystal teaches fourth graders by day and has worked at Fenway since she was 15 years old, according to the union.
“I literally grew up at the ballpark. It shaped me into who I am today,” Crystal said in the statement.
The union has shared many of the workers’ passion for their work at Fenway through a series of Instagram posts.
“I take pride in what I do,” Dewayne Jones, a grill cook, said in an Instagram post. “No matter how you slice it up, dice it up, we’re a part of the team, and we deserve more money.”
Concessions workers’ skills and earnings have been negatively impacted by the rise of automation through vending machines and self-checkout counters, according to the union. Workers who oversee automated beer stands say they can’t check if buyers are underage or overserved, and the human interaction of the transaction is cut out.
“Red Sox fans come to Fenway not just to enjoy the games and watch the athletes. They return year after year and they look for the server who gave them great service and made their experience at the ballpark a memorable one,” Carlos Aramayo, president of Local 26, said in the statement. “These workers should be paid well, in line with the citywide standard, and they should not have to worry about losing their jobs to technology.”
Boston City Councilor Sharon Durkan has voiced her support for the concessions workers, according to the union, who thanked her in a post on X.
Thank you Councilor @RonDurk for supporting Fenway Park concessions workers who are fighting for fair wages and an end to automation! pic.twitter.com/u5t3l8bNzs
— UNITE HERE Local 26 (@UNITEHERE26) May 11, 2025
Representatives from Fenway Park and MGM Music Hall did not respond to requests for comment.
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