All 30 Major League clubs have established $1MM funds to cover the lost wages of their gameday and event staffs during the league-wide shutdown, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports (via Twitter). MLB commissioner Rob Manfred offered the following statement on the teams’ actions (Twitter thread via Joel Sherman of the New York Post):
Over the past 48 hours, I have been approached by representatives of all 30 clubs to help assist the thousands of ballpark employees affected by the delay in the start of the Major League Baseball season. Motivated by desire to help some of the most valuable members of the baseball community, each Club has committed $1 million. The individual clubs will be announcing more details surrounding this support effort in their local communities. The timing of these announcements will vary because of the need to coordinate with state and local laws as well as collective bargaining obligations in an effort to maximize the benefits realized by each group of employees. I am proud that our clubs came together so quickly and uniformly to support these individuals who provide so much to the game we love.
It’s a nice gesture of goodwill and solidarity by all 30 teams, as thousands of ballpark employees throughout the league saw their livelihoods impacted and threatened by the absence of games being played. There are still, of course, other issues to address — namely the manner in which minor league players will be compensated during the hiatus.
As covered here earlier today, non-40-man players aren’t protected by the MLBPA and are currently set to go without their already meager salaries during the unexpected work stoppage. Some clubs — the Rays, Mets and Dodgers among them — are allotting a $400 weekly stipend through the end of the month, although that’s a temporary solution to a much larger-scale problem.
Good job MLB. Now help out the Minor Leagues.
yes
Did Manfred mean “vulnerable members” instead of “valuable members?” Actually, both are correct…..
This is a great gesture by the teams. Smart PR move, too, considering they’ll need to get fans back in the seats once this is all done. I mean, can you imagine being the team that just refused to pay all these low-wage earners for something beyond their control? It’d cost a lot more than $1M.
Why do you assume MLB employees are low wage? Are you sure you’re not confusing contracted vending companies (concessions employees) with actual game day staff? There is a huge difference.
What about MLB employees? I got a buddy that works for Statcast and he’s losing a chunk of his income.
…why not just pay their salary as normal until the orders are lifted? Owners have the bread, and that would be a real genuine gesture.
Probably because the owner’s non-baseball companies are hemorrhaging cash right now. You think TP hoarding is bad right now? You should see the run on the US Dollar.
What’s the shape of your tin foil hat?
Tin foil hat – a catchphrase coined to discredit anyone questioning the official narrative. It is widely parroted by the brainwashed.
What is the shape of your tin foil hat?
No play No Pay
TP paper and the US Dollar have similar uses……
I haven’t heard to much from the majority of players with contracts of, oh lets say $50 mil. & plus pledging to help out laid off employees or their comrades in the minors! Let their conscience be their guide!
Half the people here complain that players don’t make enough money and then they complain when they don’t give that money away. Which is it?
Those folks believe that every person in the world should have the same net worth at all times.
antone
Almost no one believes “that every person in the world should have the same net worth at all times.” That’s a myth just as big as claiming we have communists in this country. There are 2,000 members of the communist party in the entire 325 million person country… Get your myths straight and you’ll speak more honestly.
Antone needs to adjust the tin foil hat
Who ever said players don’t make enough money when the league minimum is $600K
Only a very small percentage of players make the really big money. Think about it for a moment; Fewer than one percent of players playing A ball ever get to the major leagues. They are only there to provide competition and help develop the really good young prospects. They play a few years, wash out and collect stories to tell them grandchildren.
Out of those who do make it, most earn the minimum and bounce from team to team. Only a few players on any given MLB team are making the really big money, and getting to that point is a tough road.
George Springer has pledged 100k to help Minute Maid Park employees. It’s not bad press for the Astros, so obviously, it hasn’t been discussed much.
Agreed for the most part, but I believe I read this within an article on mlb.com about Bregman and McCullers donating meals to Houston-area children.
This is a nice gesture for sure, but a quick google search shows Busch Stadium at approx 2370 employees. That comes out out to about $421 per person. It’d be nicer to see the owners opening up the purse strings a little more.
True, but it only says each team has “committed” $1 million. That might have been just a minimum starting figure until each team figures out its own details.
It’s just not that easy. There is no revenue right now from anywhere. And who knows what clauses are in TV contracts that prevent MLB teams from getting paid there. And it’s not like teams like the A’s are swimming in money and can just give it away without a revenue stream.
As so eloquently said in Full Metal Jacket,
“In other words, it’s a huge **** sandwich, and we’re all gonna have to take a bite.”
Some can afford to take a bite and survive. Others can’t. Owners can. Many stadium employees can’t.
Yeah, the owners are all billionaires. They can definitely afford to do at least this much.
I think there is a better than 50% chance that literally zero stadium employees will die as a result of their being out of work/without pay for a couple of months. Perhaps one or two would (many?) But more likely than not none would.
So dying is the cutoff? How about losing your car or apartment? You know, essentials for getting by, looking for/holding a job, etc. I’d wager the majority of people in this country are 1-2 bad months away from homelessness. What will save them–sort of–is unemployment, and thank god. But many with a crappy pay basis can’t afford to live on their unemployment wages, especially in urban areas.
2K???? thats a lot of people. Are you sure?
It shouldn’t have taken this long to announce this and the silence on MiLB players is deafening. Stop screwing around with this and put the guys minds at ease. The owners are committing a huge unforced error if they drag this out.
Are the Pirates going to do that?
I dunno but the Mets are issuing IOU’s
Nice. I know for a lot of ballpark employees these games represent school clothes for kids, insurance payments, car payments, etc.
Great job by owners and MLB!
Not all workers in the park work for the stadium…some work for contractors (food folks, especially). Owners could do a little something there.
Why this is an outside virus has nothing to do with the owners the Gov should bring in some money, from the latest these emp’s will be able to collect unemployment checks so there covered
As someone else pointed out elsewhere unemployment only provides a partial paycheck. Collecting part of a poor wage may not pay the rent. And god forbid the car breaks down. No money to fix it. Then you’re really stuck. How do you look for a job without a car? If you find one (in this economy, good luck), how do you commute?
That’s more money than the Pirates had spent all off season.
I know they say that people are never happy with any help that’s offered to them. but in this case, I think that they deserve to be paid even without working. they are the real table setters and behind the scene heroes. you have players like harper or Stanton kind of contracts with guaranteed money. the MLB will pay a player way more to sit at home and I’m surprised that they are only at 1 million. the people that keep the stadiums clean, maintain the fields, do all the dirty work are most likely living check to check. they are the ones that can not afford to lose a check
That 1 million dollars got watered down to $140 gift card to the employees at the Padres Petco Park. And we were given a one hour window to pick them up on May 22. We are grateful for the $$ but it seems like other parks cared more about their employees and were more timely.