On the same weekend the San Francisco Giants host their fiercest rivals in the biggest series of each team's season, Oracle Park concessions workers could decide to strike.
Unite Here Local 2, the union representing more than 900 concessions workers at the Giants' ballpark, will vote on Saturday whether to authorize a strike, a spokesperson confirmed to KCBS Radio. Anand Singh, the union's President, first told 48 Hills and SFGATE about the vote this week.
That night, the Giants will host the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second game of a three-game series. Both teams are currently tied for first place in the National League West.
A vote in favor of a strike means the union would be authorized to shut down their worksite at any time. In theory, then, the union could start striking as soon as Saturday, or during Sunday's series finale.
A union spokesperson, responding to an interview request from KCBS Radio, said workers and officials would be available following Saturday's vote.
Concessions workers at Oracle Park have not received a raise since April 2018, according to the union. Marc Norton, a union member and food service worker at the ballpark, wrote for 48 Hills on Monday that Unite Here Local 2 is asking for retroactive hazard pay of $3 per hour for members.
The workers are employed by Bon Appetit Management, which is subcontracted by the Giants. Neither Bon Appetit nor the Giants offered healthcare to laid-off workers when fans weren’t allowed to attend games due to the COVID-19 pandemic during the shortened 2020 season, according to Norton.
Bon Appetit is also subcontracted by the Golden State Warriors, and Jeanette Copeland-Estrada – a concessions worker who also works at Chase Center – told SFGATE that the Warriors helped laid-off arena workers cover healthcare costs when fans couldn’t attend games.
Neither Bon Appetit nor the Giants responded to a request for comment from KCBS Radio.
Although union members aren't Giants employees, Singh told SFGATE "the Giants hold the cards here."
"If the Giants were to decide today that workers should receive $3 an hour more, they could direct their subcontractors to make it so," Singh said. "That’s where the money is coming from, their own coffers. The Giants are in control of everything at that ballpark."
After this weekend, the Giants have 13 remaining home games in September. How many they’ll play in October depends on whether or not the Giants make the playoffs, and where they finish in the regular-season standings. As of this writing, Los Angeles and San Francisco were tied for the best record in Major League Baseball.
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