The Huntington News Vol. XII No. 3
The independent student newspaper of the Northeastern community
October 18, 2018
CAMPUS POLITICAL GROUPS ENCOURAGE STUDENTS T0
Editor’s Note: Claire Wallace, The News’ deputy lifestyle editor, is the political director for Northeastern University College Democrats. She in no way contributed to the production of this article. By Nick Hirano Deputy Campus Editor
I
t may come as a surprise, but Northeastern’s political clubs are focused on non-partisan outreach in the weeks leading up to the midterms.
The NU College Democrats, or NUCD, and the NU College Republicans, or NUCR, say they attempt to strike a careful balance between supporting their respective parties’ candidates and maintaining an ideologically inclusive environment within their organizations. Citizenship Above Party While neither organization officially endorses political candidates on campus, both emphasize helping students fulfill their civic duty to vote. Over the past two weeks, NUCD held tabling events to help potential voters in several ways, said Yael Sheinfeld, NUCD’s director of communications. “We’ve been registering students to vote, checking registration status and printing out absentee ballot request POLLS, on Page 2
Marriott employees strike for higher pay By Rhyia Bibby News Correspondent
More than 1,500 employees of Marriott International have been on strike in Boston since Oct. 3 to fight for higher pay and better benefits as part of a nationwide demonstration against the hotel group. Employees from seven Boston Marriott hotel brands, including the Aloft Boston Seaport District, the Ritz-Carlton Boston and the Sheraton Boston have spent the last two weeks demonstrating on the streets around the hotels with a rallying cry: “One job should be enough.”
The banging of drums and sporadic whistle-blowing can be heard throughout the area, sending a clear message to their employers: They won’t stop picketing until they get the Marriott to sign a contract giving them better pay, healthcare and retirement benefits. “This is one of the most expensive cities. Everything is increasing. It’s almost impossible to sustain a living. It’s getting harder and harder to catch up,” said John Maurice, a room service assistant at the Westin. Last year, the Northeastern University dining employees, who are also rep-
resented by Local 26, were in a similar situation. They were able to avoid a strike through negotiations between Local 26 and Chartwells, Northeastern’s food vendor. Their new contract prohibits Chartwell from taking away employees’ existing benefits, while encouraging more full-time schedules and higher pay. “We have bills to pay,” said Gerald Louis, who has worked at the Westin for 22 years. “I have a family to support.” Louis said that he and many of the other employees on strike have only had trouble paying their bills
Photo by Sam Kim Boston Marriott hotel employees picket at the intersection of Tremont and Stuart streets during rush hour Oct. 12.
since Marriott International bought Starwood Hotels & Resorts, the original owner of The Westin Copley Place, back in 2016. Dang Duong, who has been working at the Westin for 30 years, claims to have suffered emotional distress resulting from negligence on the part of the new hotel management. Duong
alleges several cases of coworkers calling him names without any intervention from the management, despite several attempts on his part to get them to take action. “They don’t do their job. They’re supposed to work, but they don’t,” Duong said. LOCAL 26, on Page 5