It’s been more than a week since Unite Here Local 26, a local chapter of the hospitality union that represents employees at Fenway Park, authorized a strike against Aramark. The Boston Red Sox are set to begin a six-game homestand on Friday, and neither side has reported movement in negotiations, meaning unionized employees can walk away at any point.
During the lull in labor talks, chapter members are thinking about their collective value to the famed Fenway experience—specifically how automation could reduce job security. They are concerned with the use of self-checkout machines in the ballpark introduced ahead of the 2023 season.
Two years ago, Aramark installed two AI-powered self-checkout units created by Mashgin that handle beer, and four self-dispensing popcorn stations. Mashgin has machines in over 3,000 convenience stores, more than 150 sports venues, 100 hospitals and dozens of airports, colleges and resorts across the U.S., Europe and Australia.
“It reduces the amount you make,” Charbel Salameh, a 28-year employee at Fenway who has worked the beer stands for 23 of those seasons, said in a phone interview. “‘Oh, who am I tipping? This is a self-service stand, I don’t have to tip anyone.’ People still did the work, people still filled the fridge, people still made your hot dog, people still filled your soda. I think because they don’t interact with someone doing that, people look at it differently.
“The more these stands are put in, the more jobs that are taken away. That’s the hard part because in five years if they convert every one of these stands [to self-checkout], there are going to be so many lost jobs.”
In response to a request for comment, Aramark referred to the June 15 statement it sent Sportico. “We intend to keep working with the union toward a settlement that works for everyone,” the statement said. “In the event of a strike, we have contingency plans in place to ensure that services are not interrupted.”
Including Fenway, Mashgin’s machines are deployed at 20 of the 30 MLB ballparks. In an April report it conducted about the fan experience, the company said it has “delivered a median transaction time of under 15 seconds across over 3.6 million transactions and $88 million in concession sales,” during the 2024 season.
Local 26 president Carlos Aramayo said in a phone interview that he understands technology will be a part of Fenway’s future. Still, he hopes union members aren’t taken for granted.
“A lot of folks who started working there, but they were in high school even, and have been working there for 20, 30 years,” Aramayo said. “The Red Sox sell the historic baseball experience. A lot of our members see themselves as part of that. They’re Boston folks and they take a lot of pride in the work they do.”
Added Salameh: “You can’t go to ‘America’s most beloved ballpark’ and not have human interaction. A machine’s not going to love you back.”
Neither Local 26 nor Aramark have publicized when their next talks were going to be. Discussions are likely to include debate over the automation issue in addition to the union’s push for wage increases and scheduling based on seniority.
Fenway is still busy while the Red Sox are away. Irish singer-songwriter Hozier performed his first of two concerts at the ballpark on Monday, with the second scheduled for Tuesday night. The Red Sox host the Toronto Blue Jays to start a three-game series on Friday night. It remains to be seen if those will be the last working nights for unionized employees before a possible strike.
Aramayo said the 95% vote to authorize a walkout was motivated by advances made by other unionized workers throughout Boston. He expressed frustration at the Fenway situation since his union and Aramark were able to come to the table for employees in Boston-area schools and hotels.
“At Boston University, we just negotiated a first contract with them,” Aramayo said. “Nobody heard about it, right? Because we did it. We had good bargaining; we figured out a deal to get it done. We didn’t get ourselves into this situation.”
Sign up for Sportico's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
