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Why are Fenway Park concession workers threatening to strike?
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Happy Friday. It's a busy weekend for local college graduation ceremonies. So congrats to all the graduates — and to anyone who had the foresight to make their weekend restaurant reservations ahead of time. (Axios has a list of all the celebrity commencement speakers in town, too.)
Now, to the news:
Balls and strikes: Rafael Devers isn’t the only disgruntled employee at Fenway Park. This week, the union representing over 1,000 concession workers at the ballpark — from cashiers to cooks to souvenir vendors — announced plans to vote on authorizing a strike next month. It would be the first-ever labor strike at Fenway Park. But leaders of the union, UNITE HERE Local 26, say they’re putting it on the table due to the lack of progress in contract negotiations with Fenway’s food vendor, Aramark. Their previous contract expired at the end of 2024. WBUR’s Amy Sokolow spoke to one longtime Fenway beer seller to understand why the frustrations are now spilling into public view.
- The first issue, as with many labor disputes, is money. The union says concession workers at Fenway typically make under $20 an hour, less than their peers at ballparks in Miami and Seattle. “ We are one of the most iconic ballparks in the country. There are ballparks that average way less people coming in than we do that are paying their employees quite a bit more than we're actually making,” said Charbel Salameh, a Fenway Park beer seller who said wages have not kept up with the costs of living since he started the job 28 years ago.
- Second, the union is seeking protections against automation, such as Fenway’s gradual integration of self-service food and drink checkout kiosks that started in 2022. Not only does such technology replace jobs, Salameh says it diminishes the charm of a baseball game at Fenway. “ There's no socialness,” he told Amy, adding that they’re hoping for a deal that limits the number of self-checkout kiosks at the park.
- Will they actually strike? It’s possible. UNITE HERE Local 26 is the same union behind last year’s local hotel strikes. But going public with the plans to vote on a potential strike also serves as a negotiating tactic to put pressure on Aramark. TD Garden concession workers used a similar threat last fall to help secure a new contract.
- What’s next: The union’s vote is scheduled for the weekend of June 13-15. A “yes” vote gives the union the authority to call a strike at any moment. In a statement, an Aramark spokesperson said the company has “contingency plans in place to ensure that services are not interrupted,” if a strike occurs. “We intend to keep working with the union toward a settlement that works for everyone,” the spokesperson said.
Not so fast: Amid soaring health insurance costs, Massachusetts regulators moved yesterday to cap how much insurers can raise deductibles and copays next year. Gov. Maura Healey's administration announced new guidance yesterday that limits the growth of deductibles and copays at the rate of medical inflation — about 4.8%. The move is thanks to new powers granted to the Division of Insurance by one of the laws Healey signed in January aimed at reining in health care costs.
- The new limits take effect in January 2026. Michael Caljouw, the state's insurance commissioner, called it "an important first step to protecting our residents from these difficult costs.” However, the trade group that represents the state's health insurance companies said in a statement yesterday that they will "simply shift costs into premiums, raising monthly expenses for everyone."
- In other health insurance news: Healey signed a bill yesterday to send an extra $240 million to the agency that administers health insurance for state employees and retirees, just hours after it was passed by the Senate. The Group Insurance Commission ran out of money for the fiscal year earlier this week, due to rising costs.
Ahoy: Ferry service to Boston's most scenic park — the Harbor Islands — begins today. For the next month, ferries will run to Spectacle Island three times a day Thursday through Sunday for $25. Then on June 16, service ramps up to seven days a week and adds Georges Island and Peddocks Island routes. See the schedule here.
- Haven't been? Christian Merfeld, a spokesperson for Boston Harbor Now, the nonprofit that manages the ferries, says the harbor islands may feel like "a world away," but they're "actually a short trip" from downtown Boston (30 minutes from Long Wharf to Spectacle Island, specifically). "It's a beautiful island," Merfeld said. "It's a beautiful park. There's a beach right there on Spectacle that feels like a private beach, [with a] panoramic view of the city skyline."
ICYMI: Mayor Michelle Wu, Josh Kraft, Domingos DaRosa and Alex Alex took part in the first candidate forum of Boston's 2025 mayoral race last night, sparring over everything from the city's budget and schools to housing to traffic. The Boston Globe has a recap of the forum here, or you can watch the full event on YouTube.
P.S.— What action did Healey propose to help lower energy costs in Massachusetts? Take our Boston News Quiz and test your knowledge of this week's stories.
