SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) — Concessions workers at Oracle Park voted to strike on Saturday, hours before the Giants were set to take the field against the Dodgers.
The food service workers reported to their shift for the Giants’ Saturday evening game. The union president says they could go on strike as soon as Sunday.
According to a press release sent from Unite Here Local 2, the union representing concessions workers at Oracle Park, 96.7% of voting members approved a strike after “negotiations over COVID safety, health care and hazard pay stalled” between the union and the Giants’ food service contractor, Bon Appétit.
Striking Oracle Park workers (Photo courtesy Ted Waechter)
“Bon Appétit and the Giants’ approach to workers and fans’ safety during this latest surge of COVID-19 is completely inadequate and dangerously irresponsible. Our members have carried on through this pandemic without fair compensation and security in our health insurance, while the Giants have continued to reap profits. We are ready to fight for our health, our safety and for justice at the ballpark,” Anand Singh, president of Unite Here Local 2, said in a statement from the union mailed to media Saturday afternoon.
In a statement to KPIX a spokesperson for the Giants says the team “Makes the health and safety of everyone working and visiting Oracle Park a top priority. We operate our venue in compliance with local and state health requirements.”
The team also said they hope the two sides come to an agreement as soon as possible.
The last strike involving these concession workers was in 2013. It lasted just one game before both sides came to a compromise.