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Red Sox fans urged to skip buying drinks at Fenway Park as worker strike looms


There could soon be a noticeable number of Boston Red Sox fans walking around Fenway Park with empty hands.

Fans are encouraged to purchase their preferred beverage or food item outside the gates of the historic ballpark as concession workers threaten to go on strike.

The Red Sox were idle on Thursday after wrapping up a road trip. The team returns home for a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday. Last month, Aramark employees and members of UNITE HERE Local 26 voted in favor of a labor strike, The Boston Herald reported.

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A general view of the facade during a game between the Boston Red Sox and the San Diego Padres on June 28, 2024 at Fenway Park in Boston. (Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images / Getty Images)

There has never been a labor strike in Fenway Park’s 113-year history. However, last month, Aramark employees at Fenway Park and MGM Music Hall voted in favor of authorizing the first-ever strike.

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Aramark employees at Fenway Park and MGM Music Hall are represented by the UNITE HERE Local 26 labor union. Staff who are represented by the union include: cooks, barbacks, souvenir vendors, utility workers, cashiers and others who work at the ballpark and the nearby music hall.

A Boston Red Sox

A Boston Red Sox hat and glove sit in the dugout before a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. (Michael McLoone-Imagn Images / IMAGN)

“Aramark and the Union did not make significant progress towards an agreement during their latest bargaining session, which took place last week,” the union said.

“As a result …. Fenway workers are ready to go on strike for the first time in the 113-year-old history of America’s favorite ballpark.”

A general view of Fenway Park

A general view of Fenway Park during a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox. (Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images / IMAGN)

The workers’ most recent contract expired nearly seven months ago. 

The employees argue they are “fighting” for multiple “key demands” in a potential new deal. In addition to higher wages, workers want to see “guardrails on automation” and the implementation of a scheduling system that “respects workers’ seniority.”

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According to Local 26, cashiers at Fenway Park earn $18.52 an hour during their shifts, while workers at the Miami Marlins LoanDepot Park in Miami who hold the same job title are paid $21.25 per hour.



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