Oct 16, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; A view of the stadium during the national anthem bfore game one of the NLCS for the 2023 MLB playoffs between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports Kyle Ross
Aramark stadium workers that staff Citizens Bank Park, Lincoln Financial Field and Wells Fargo Center are set to strike Monday, Unite Here Local 274 announced Sunday.
🚨🚨🚨 BREAKING: Workers Announce Strike of Aramark's Food and Beverage Operations at all Three Stadiums.
Enjoy events at @WellsFargoCtr, @PhilliesCBP & @LFFStadium. BOYCOTT food and drinks from @Aramark – Tailgate instead. pic.twitter.com/NCusNpxr7Y
— UNITE HERE Philly (@UNITEHEREPhilly) September 23, 2024
According to the announcement, cooks, servers, bartenders, dishwashers, concession workers, cleaners, retail workers and warehouse workers employed by Aramark and represented by Unite Here Local 247 — which is the Philadelphia's food service workers' union — will set up their strike headquarters at the Center Field Gate of Citizens Bank Park Monday. The expectation is that the strike will peak between 4:30 and 6 p.m. ET. The plan is not only for workers to bring picket signs and leaflets to hand out to fans, but also inflatable versions of Fat Cat and Scabby the Rat.
As is, Aramark treats work completed by their employees at the three stadiums in the sports complex separately. This prevents some employees who work at multiple facilities from receiving health care from the company, even if in total they are completing what amounts to full-time work. The union is asking that "Aramark determine health insurance eligibility for its employees by aggregating all hours worked across the Stadium Complex and lower the threshold for eligibility."
Tiffani Davis, who works concessions at all three buildings, issued the following statement.
"Before we even talk about building a new arena, we need to make sure that stadium food service jobs are good jobs," Davis said. "Year-round work should come with year-round benefits like healthcare and family-sustaining wages."
To show support for the striking workers, the union has requested that fans "tailgate or grab dinner elsewhere ahead of the game instead," rather than getting it inside the stadium.
Aramark spokesperson Debbie Albert issued the following statement to Ellie Rushing of The Philadelphia Inquirer giving the company's side.
“In the five-week period since the union rejected our offer, they have chosen to strike without making any substantive changes to their position. They continue to engage in non-productive tactics choosing to strike again and continuing to seek a boycott of Aramark’s services,” Albert said.
The Phillies will host the Chicago Cubs in each of the next three nights. Not having the stadium fully staffed will likely be felt during those games, but this may be something of a warning from the union. A stadium staff anything less than fully staffed during a playoff series would likely be a disaster. Assuming the Phillies get one of the two first-round byes in the NL playoffs, they would begin their postseason slate at Citizens Bank Park with NLDS Game 1 on Oct. 5.
NLCS Game 1 — should the Phillies make it there — would be on Oct. 13. If the Phillies are the highest-remaining seed, that game would be at Citizens Bank Park. That same day, the Eagles have a 1:00 p.m. ET game at the Linc against the Cleveland Browns. You would think Aramark needs to have this situation resolved by then.
