As fans flock to Fenway Park this weekend for a midsummer series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox, they’re being asked to not purchase any food or drinks during the three games in America’s oldest ballpark.
The request comes from Fenway Park concession workers, who officially went on strike at noon ET on Friday.
Members of UNITE HERE Local 26 took to the picket lines on Friday, as they implore food services company Aramark to provide “living wages, guardrails on technology, and R-E-S-P-E-C-T!”
“We’re underpaid and under-appreciated,” Melquis Valdera, a Fenway concessions worker for nine years, said in a union Facebook post. “Aramark expects the fans to cover our wages and that’s not right. They make millions and we’re simply asking for our fair share.”
The strike involves Aramark employees of both Fenway Park and MGM Music Hall, a live music venue adjacent to the ballpark that is also owned by Fenway Sports Group. The strike is planned to last three days, through the final game of the series on Sunday. MGM Music Hall also has a Riley Green concert scheduled for Friday night.
In a reply on X, the workers’ union asked fans to “Enjoy the game, don’t buy food or drink!”
The union has been negotiating a new deal with Aramark throughout the year but on Wednesday set a 48-hour strike deadline earlier for Friday.
Aramark said in a statement earlier this week that the company was disappointed in the strike deadline and that contingency plans are in place to ensure fans at Fenway Park will have the ability to purchase food and drink during the games this weekend.
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