Unionized service workers rally in Boston ahead of Labor Day

Service workers covered by 32BJ SEIU marched in downtown Boston Saturday to call for fair working conditions ahead of Labor Day.

A union contract for 12,000 janitors in Massachusetts and Rhode Island expires on Nov. 15 and airport workers at Boston Logan International Airport are asking overseers to improve conditions, said Roxana Rivera, 32BJ assistant to the president.

Rivera said the most important thing companies can do is honor essential workers, those people “that helped keep the economy moving forward, especially this pandemic.”

“We don’t want these workers to be left behind,” Rivera said. “These are workers that do services at many of the most well known companies, institutions of our economy. So you’re talking about Uber and Lyft. You’re talking about the airport. You’re talking about local biotech companies like Pfizer and Biogen.”

Swissport cabin cleaners and ramp workers at Logan International Airport rallied earlier in the summer to protest what they said were unfair labor conditions. The employees are working with 32BJ SEIU in an attempt to unionize.

The service workers union is also pushing legislation on Beacon Hill that would allow them to unionize. That battle has faced pushback from other groups who are pursuing different classifications for gig workers in Massachusetts.

About 100 people rallied with 32BJ SEIU, with a planned marching route from a park in the North End to the Boston Common. Boston City Council President Ed Flynn was among them, who said the city has sometimes not lived up to its reputation as a union town.

“But it goes to show you that you have to get involved in every union issue and support working men and women and ensure that they’re treated fairly and with respect, and if you don’t do that consistently, it will eventually hurt unions throughout greater Boston,” he said.

At the national level, unions have notched some major wins this year.

A new labor contract for 340,000 unionized UPS workers came after contentious negotiations. Screenwriters have been on strike for about four months and actors joined the action in July as they search for better pay and protections on the use of artificial intelligence.

Auto workers also greenlit a potential strike against Detroit car companies if they cannot reach an agreement later this month. And American Airlines flight attendants voted to authorize a strike this week.

In Massachusetts, Rivera said higher education, biotech, and transportation are key sectors of the local economy where “we can’t let the service workers be left behind.”

“Many go with low wages, with not a path to healthcare, without a path to benefits,” Rivera said. “And this fall, we’re going to basically be pushing forth to lift those standards for all those workers that work in those sectors.”

Materials from the Associated Press were used in this report.