Sports

Fenway workers file unfair labor practices charges agains Aramark

Fenway workers file unfair labor practices charges agains Aramark

Fenway Park concession workers represented by Unite Here Local 26 filed unfair labor practices charges against their employer, Aramark, alleging that the food-service company disciplined and intimidated workers because of their union activities.
The charges, filed last week with the National Labor Relations Board, come as the union and Aramark remain locked in a months-long contract dispute. The filing followed the suspension of Peter Dankens, a beer vendor who has worked at Fenway for 50 years. The union alleges Aramark suspended Dankens in retaliation for his union activities.
An Aramark spokesperson disputed the union’s claims, and said the suspension was “based on allegations made against him by a Fenway visitor about an incident that occurred after the strike.” The spokesperson said Dankens was reinstated after an investigation.
Advertisement
In addition to the Dankens suspension, Unite Here in its filing alleged several other violations of labor laws, including threats, surveillance, discipline, and changes in terms and conditions of employment. Union workers also have faced cut shifts, denied overtime, and diluted tip pools, according to the filing.
The filing detailed an incident from April, in which an Aramark supervisor allegedly raised his voice and told a union worker, “Everyone here knows that if they do the union thing they will be fired.”
The confrontation, the NLRB complaint alleged, escalated when the supervisor allegedly said to the worker, “I’m about to take my badge off and go out of this stand and work this out with you.”
In another incident, the union complaint alleged, another supervisor video recorded workers who were engaged in union efforts, saying that his manager instructed him to do so.
Advertisement
Other incidents mentioned in the filing included questioning of employees about their involvement in a three-day strike in July, and Aramark allegedly instructing workers to remove hats with the union’s logo.
“We are deeply concerned about what has been going on at Fenway, in particular since the strike,” said Carlos Aramayo, Local 26’s president, in an interview. “We are always happy to meet and bargain, but we’re not going to stand by and have our members suspended and harassed.”
In a statement, Aramark said it is confident that its managers did not engage in any retaliatory conduct during or after the strike.
“We are disappointed that the Union has chosen to file frivolous grievances and then tout them to the media rather than putting effort into negotiating a settlement that works for all,” the statement said.
The union and Aramark have been locked in contract negotiations for months. Workers are seeking higher wages and limits on automated checkout kiosks that they say cut into their tips and threaten their jobs.
In July, hundreds of Fenway and MGM Music Hall workers walked off the job during a three-day series between the Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers, the first walkout of its kind in the ballpark’s 113-year-history.
Aramayo said the parties are still far from an agreement. He said workers may launch another walkout before the baseball season comes to an end.
Fenway Sports Group, the owner of the Red Sox and Fenway Park, declined comment. (John Henry, the principal owner of Fenway Sports Group, is the owner of The Boston Globe.)
Advertisement
Yogev Toby can be reached at yogev.toby@globe.com.