With the 2020 Major League Baseball indefinitely suspended due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, team and stadium workers are among those who faced financial uncertainty.
And though MLB is considering multiple scenarios with which to begin the season, they largely center around teams not playing at their home ballparks. Last month, MLB announced all 30 teams committed to each pledge $1 million toward a relief fund.
The Los Angeles Dodgers subsequently followed that establishing a fund to provide financial assistance to Dodger Stadium employees. However, specifics were not provided at the time.
Those have since come to light, as the Dodgers outlined which stadium workers and staff would receive financial assistance, according to Jorge Castillo of the L.A. Times:
The Dodgers on Tuesday informed gameday workers missing paychecks because of the coronavirus pandemic that they will collectively receive $1.3 million in financial assistance payments from the organization.
In a statement, the Dodgers said the program is for “event staff, concessions, parking, cleaning personnel employed by third-party contractors, and the Dodgers Foundation event staff.”
“Nearly 4 million fans pass through our gates each year, and it wouldn’t be possible without the amazing service provided by our great gameday staff that makes the Dodger Stadium experience so special,” Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten said in a statement last month.
“These are challenging economic times, and we want to make sure that we support those in this committed group that may be having a particularly difficult time.”
Absent from the Dodgers’ plans to provide relief to gameday workers was a plan for the team’s full-time employees. Most clubs have either announced or are reported to have agreed to pay such employees at least through the month of May.
An additional fallout to the coronavirus shutdown is ticket refunds. Two fans filed a lawsuit against all 30 MLB teams, StubHub and Ticketmaster, among others, seeking refunds and to have their case designated a class-action.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in our shows, and more!
