Hotel workers authorize strike

Unite Here Local 26 union members took a strike authorization vote Wednesday against Marriott, the largest hotel chain in Boston.Lane Turner/Globe Staff

Union hotel workers Wednesday voted to authorize a strike at eight Marriott Hotels in Boston, with more than 1,000 workers, or 96 percent, in favor.

The union, Unite Here Local 26, which represents more than 1,800 employees of Marriott International, has been in negotiations with the company for months and is focused on how technology and environmental programs will affect workers.

The pact with Marriott, the world’s largest hotel company, will ultimately apply to all union hotels in the Boston area, covering 5,000 workers. A Marriott International spokesperson said: “Throughout our longstanding relationship with Local 26, we have always taken the negotiation process seriously and reached agreements. We have no reason to believe that this negotiation process will be any different.”

Strike authorization votes are often part of contract negotiations, said Local 26 president Brian Lang, but in an era of record hotel profits, his members are “fired up” and ready to walk off the job anytime in the next few weeks.

Strike votes by other Marriott Unite Here workers are also taking place in Honolulu, San Francisco, and Seattle this week.