Fenway Park Concessions Workers Strike Disrupts Red Sox-Dodgers Series

As the Boston Red Sox faced off against the Los Angeles Dodgers, a strike by concessions workers at Fenway Park left fans grappling with difficult decisions regarding food and drink options. The strike commenced on Friday and is scheduled to continue through Sunday, coinciding with the highly anticipated series.

Workers represented by Unite Here Local 26 are demanding better wages that align with the cost of living in Boston and comparable pay at other ballparks. Additionally, they seek an end to the replacement of staff with self-service kiosks, which they argue undermines job security.

“We just ask them to respect the picket line and get food and drinks somewhere else,” stated Madeline Rivera, a striking worker, as she rallied with her colleagues for fair treatment.

Some fans opted to bring their own snacks into the stadium. Margo Healey expressed her support for the workers, saying, “Fenway makes a lot of money, and these people deserve to be paid right.” Her companion Ken added, “Don’t charge us ten bucks for a beer and then nickel and dime these poor guys.”

However, not all fans felt equipped to avoid purchasing food at the park. Dan Finn shared his dilemma with WBZ-TV, admitting, “It’s such a long game, and people get thirsty and hungry. So, if I need something, I might have to unfortunately.”

In response to the strike, replacement workers were brought in to manage the concessions. Fans reported longer wait times at stands, with Sandy Kershaw noting a line for ice cream that stretched to at least 75 people.

Patty Fox echoed this sentiment, remarking, “It was not like as many stations as there usually are.”

Carlos Aramayo, president of Unite Here Local 26, clarified that the strike is not aimed at inconveniencing fans or targeting the Red Sox directly. Instead, it serves as a protest for fair wages. “There is no way that at a ballpark like this, with an ownership group like the Red Sox, that has so much money that we should have people making poverty wages,” he asserted.

The Red Sox organization stated they are not involved in negotiations but are maintaining communication with Aramark, the food supplier. Aramark responded by expressing disappointment over the union's decision to strike after rejecting their latest offer.

Unless an agreement is reached, Aramayo indicated that union members would continue to picket during the final game of the series on Sunday afternoon. “Our members are strong. They’re going to be staying out until we get this done, until we get a really good contract,” he affirmed.

As of now, Aramayo mentioned that there has been no communication from Aramark since Friday but remains hopeful for a return to negotiations.