Sens. Warren and Markey, Rep. Pressley, Boston Mayor Kim Janey To Rally With Workers To Build Back Better with Unions
‘Frontline First’ Labor Day rally, BBQ at Copley to support workers’ rights, workplace equity, ARPA funding for housing, transit
BOSTON – On Labor Day, U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Boston Mayor Kim Janey, and Boston mayoral candidates John Barros, Andrea Campbell, Annissa Essaibi George and Michelle Wu, to join workers and the Greater Boston Labor Council for a rally on workplace equity, opportunity, and safety and to “Build Back Better” with unions by directing federal COVID recovery funds to critical sectors, including housing and public transit.
WHAT: “Frontline First: for Opportunity, Equity and Safety,” a rally and BBQ to support frontline workers and build back better with unions. Stay updated with the latest information on the event via Facebook.
WHO:
Labor leaders and workers, including:
Darlene Lombos, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, Greater Boston Labor Council
Steve Tolman, President, MA AFL-CIO
Elected officials, including:
Senator Elizabeth Warren
Senator Ed Markey
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)
Mayor Kim Janey, City of Boston
Congresswoman Katherine Clark (MA-05)
Congressman Jake Auchincloss (MA-04)
Maura Healey, Massachusetts Attorney General
William Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Boston mayoral candidates:
John Barros, former city economic development chief and Dorchester resident
Andrea Campbell, District 4 city councilor and Mattapan resident
Annissa Essaibi George, at-large city councilor and Dorchester resident
Michelle Wu, at-large city councilor and Roslindale resident
Labor and community allies, including:
Carlos Aramayo, President Unite Here Local 26
Beatriz Torres, a 23-year employee of Marriott and member of Unite Here Local 26
Jorge Rivera, Building Trades Unions, Painters and Allied Trades District Council 35Joe Nardelli, Building Trades Unions, Painters and Allied Trades District Council 35
Mimi Ramos, Executive Director, New England United 4 Justice
Mei Hua Zeng, 1199 Service Employees International Union member
Matthew Hamilton, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 103 member
Mike Vartabedian, Assistant Directing Business Representative, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
Katie Murphy, RN, President, Massachusetts Nurses Association
Carla Leblanc, Nurse, St. Vincent Hospital, MNA
Beth Griffith, Board Chair & Executive Director, Boston Independent Drivers Guild
WHEN: Monday, Sept. 6 at 11 a.m. (BBQ to begin at noon)
WHERE: Marriott Copley Place, 110 Huntington Ave., Boston followed by BBQ at Copley Square
*Both the rally and the BBQ are open to the press. The event will follow evolving CDC and state guidelines for masking and distancing. The 11 a.m. rally will be a masked event.*
WHY:
The event, called “Frontline First: for Opportunity, Equity and Safety,” will begin with a rally at the Marriott Copley in protest of the unfair firing of its hospitality workers in 2020 and the hotel management’s engagement of out-of-state construction contractors with safety and labor violations for its latest renovation project.
This event marks the 1-year anniversary of Boston Marriott Copley firing its workers under the guise of the pandemic. 230 hotel workers were not offered the chance to return to work when the COVID-19 crisis ended, but instead, were told they could reapply, losing the decades of service they put into Marriott. Massachusetts’ labor movement and allies are calling on the hotel to publicly state they will recall any fired worker who wishes to return and provide full severance for those that are gainfully employed.
Marriott has a history of hiring out-of-state contractors who have paid illegally low wages and misclassified workers to avoid paying taxes. Rally goers are speaking out against the latest decision by Marriott Copley to engage with yet another out-of-state contractor and its customary subcontractors who have a record of safety and labor violations.
The event is also calling for elected leaders to protect gig workers, pass the federal PRO (Protecting the Right to Organize) Act, and direct federal American Rescue Plan Act funding to benefit and pay the frontline workers, who put their lives on the line to keep our economy and our communities afloat during these trying times.
“More than eight million American families fell into poverty during the pandemic,” said Darlene Lombos, Executive Secretary of the Greater Boston Labor Council. “As Massachusetts families and communities attempt to rebuild and recover, these critical ARPA dollars must be used to support frontline workers and disproportionately impacted communities. To build back better, we must seize this moment to prioritize supporting working families and uplifting underserved communities.”