Fenway workers authorized a strike Sunday as they seek better wages and limits on automation, including beer kiosks and self-checkout, that could begin at any time.
The decision, which they approved in a 647-33 vote, came hours before a scheduled game between the Red Sox and New York Yankees at Fenway Park.
The strike is not beginning immediately, but could start as early as Sunday evening if Aramark, the ballpark’s concession service provider that employs the workers, does not proceed with negotiations, Fenway workers said during a Sunday morning press conference.
Workers did not walk off the job during the Sunday game. The Red Sox do not play another home game until June 27, but Fenway will host Irish singer Hozier on back-to-back nights June 23 and 24.
“If there’s a strike here, it’s going to be a major disruption,” said Carlos Aramayo, president of UNITE HERE Local 26, which is representing the Fenway workers, at the press conference. “And if management doesn’t wake up and actually figure out how to bargain, there will be a strike at Fenway Park.”
In a statement, Chris Collom, an Aramark spokesperson, said the company intends to keep working with the union toward a settlement that works for everyone.
“In the event of a strike, we have contingency plans in place to ensure that services are not interrupted,” Collom said.
The decision to authorize a strike comes after months of stalled negotiations between the Fenway workers and Aramark. The workers, who include beer sellers, servers, and souvenir vendors, are mainly concerned about wages and the automation of certain services at the ballpark, which is decreasing the number of shifts available to workers.
Aramayo said at Fenway, a beer costs $10.75, while the same beverage is priced at $5.14 at the Miami Marlins stadium. Yet, a cashier at Fenway makes $18.52 an hour, while a Miami Marlins worker makes $21.25 per hour.
Other speakers at the press conference talked about the automation of some positions at Fenway. Natalie Greening, a beer seller who started working at Fenway in high school, said her job is being replaced by a computer.
Greening said after the pandemic, the company started to introduce automated checkout machines that serve alcohol to people who are not being screened properly. The automation leads to fewer shifts available to workers who need the income, she said.
“When a computer takes away our jobs, it takes away income that goes back into the community,” she said. “I’m a Boston resident. I lived here my whole life. I want to keep this job.”
Aramayo said management has been “nothing but disrespectful,” refusing to come to the bargaining table with fair proposals that workers can negotiate.
Charbel Salameh, a Fenway beer seller for 28 years, said when he first started the job, workers were known by their first names. Now, he said workers are “just a number” at Fenway.
“It’s America’s most beloved ballpark, but it would not be America’s most beloved ballpark if it wasn’t loved by these guys behind me,” Salameh said. “They put in summers, we put in weekends. We’ve worked concerts. We’ve done everything ever asked of us.”
The workers’ contract expired in December, and the two parties have not reached an agreement. In addition to higher wages and limits on automation, workers are asking for increased gratuity for senior workers and scheduling that respects seniority.
“We’re not trying to really go on strike. We’re not wishing for it, but we can’t let us and everybody else’s family not be paid or taken care of because somebody wants a profit,” said Ramon Suarez, a warehouse worker. “It’s time for change.”
Marcela Rodrigues can be reached at marcela.rodrigues@globe.com.