Seven hundred and fifty concessions workers, members of the UNITE HERE Local 2, staged a surprise one-day strike May 25 at the San Francisco Giants baseball game. It is believed to be the first strike ever by concessions workers at a major league game in any sport.
Spirited picket lines were set up at all the AT&T Park gates, with workers chanting, “Centerplate is whack—bring your own snack,” and “If we don’t get no contract, you don’t get no peace.” Hundreds of passing cars honked in support. Union flyers did not ask fans to boycott the game against the Colorado Rockies but to not purchase any Centerplate food or beverages.
Local 2’s contract with Centerplate, the subcontracted concessionaire, expired in March 2010. Since then, the Giants have won two World Series and raked in the largest profits in their history. More than 10 million fans have attended Giants’ games over the past three years, ticket prices are up 20 percent, and the price of a beer is now $10.25. The Giants reportedly take 50 percent off the top of all food and beverage revenues. The market value of the franchise has increased by 40 percent to $786 million.
No wage increase since 2009
But the Local 2 workers have received no wage increase since 2009. “After two World Series wins, we haven’t seen anything,” said concession worker Agnes Caballero, “not even a T-shirt.”
In the current contract negotiations, Centerplate is offering miserly raises of just 25 cents an hour over the next two years, and nothing in the third year, while making it much more difficult for workers to qualify for company-provided health care coverage.
Concession work is physically demanding, part-time work. There are 81 home baseball games a year, plus special events. The average worker grosses about $11,000 annually, and most have to work at least one other job to make ends meet.
Like other capitalist companies, the aim of the SF Giants’ owners is to maximize profits by charging outrageous prices for tickets, concessions and gear, while paying the workers who create their wealth as little as possible.
But Local 2, which represents 12,000 workers in San Francisco and San Mateo counties, is a fighting union and is determined to win a decent contract. More strikes are likely if Centerplate sticks to its rollback stance at the negotiating table.
For more information on the strike, go to thegiantzero.org
