How to survive layoffs and protect your finances
As more Americans lose their jobs, these tips will help you protect your finances, secure health insurance, and find your next job faster.
A Boston restaurant is set to close in the coming weeks after employees voted to unionize.
Seamark Seafood & Cocktails, which opened two years ago in the Encore Boston Harbor hotel lobby, will close at the end of March and lay off 56 employees, according to Unite Here Local 26.
The Pier to Plate restaurant offers seafood dishes such as tuna tartare, grilled swordfish, double clam chowder and local raw oysters, depending on the menu. Inside is a hidden secret bar called “Old Wives’ Tale.”
Carver Road Hospitality, which operates Seamark, did not respond to multiple requests for comment on Thursday, March 12. Encore directed inquiries to Carver Road, which issued a short statement citing financial issues as the reason for the closure.
Encore Boston Harbor said, “For any company to take care of its employees, revenues must exceed expenses. As a result, we respect Seamark’s right to make decisions that it believes are in the best interest of its business.”
In February, Seamark employees voted 38-7 to join Local 26, which represents about 14,000 service industry workers in the Boston area. According to union president Carlos Aramayo, they had not yet begun initial contract negotiations when they were notified of the closure.
Local 26 said in a press release that Seamark employees who voted to unionize wanted affordable health care and salaries comparable to what Encore’s unionized employees earn.
Aramayo said in a phone interview that Carver Road “was running a very aggressive anti-union campaign,” including a website called SeamarkElectionInfo.com. The website outlined the voting process and encouraged staff to “do your own research and ask tough questions on both sides.”
“Union organizers are allowed by law to make broad claims about what they can do on your behalf. do not have We are required to support these claims with evidence and facts,” the website states. Any We are committed to what we will or will not do if you vote yes or no to Unite Here. ”
“While we are limited in what we can say, we can guarantee that the transition from a non-union to a union environment will have a significant impact on any organization. This will be especially true for Seamark,” the website continued.
Employees ultimately voted in favor of a union, and the restaurant announced its closure 10 days after the vote was certified, according to Local 26.
Kim Vasquez, a server at Seamark, said she has “no idea” how she will continue to make money for herself and her family after the restaurant closes.
“Less than a month ago, I celebrated my vote for the union and listened to my colleagues sing ‘Happy Birthday’ with me. I saw a better future for my colleagues, my family, and my father, for whom I am the primary caregiver,” Vazquez said in a statement. “I can’t believe Carver Road and Seamark didn’t allow us to come to the table and partner to make this the best restaurant for all of us.”
Union wants Encore to ‘intervene’ to ‘protect basic labor standards’
Aramayo said the Sinatra restaurant that previously occupied the space is unionized and Encore has the ability to “step in” and take over Seamark’s operations.
“Encore Boston Harbor has an opportunity here to do the right thing,” Aramayo said in an interview. “This is a space that was previously operated, but it seems that it will be able to operate again starting tomorrow.”
Aramayo said in a statement that the union has confidence in the casino, which it hopes will bring thousands of jobs to the area. Now, he says, “I can’t help but notice that they’re not getting there. Even as workers unionize, jobs continue to be cut.”
“We believe that if Carver Road and its partners cannot or will not uphold basic labor standards for their tenants, they are failing in their responsibility to the community,” he continued.
The state Department of Labor and Workforce Development said it had not received any warning notices but that officials were in contact with the company to assist affected workers.
