While Major League Baseball is at a standstill due to the lockout, the MLB Players Association announced Friday it was starting a $1 million fund to aid stadium workers affected by the work stoppage.
The move came after negotiations between the owners and players broke down and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced the cancellation of the first two series of the regular season on Tuesday.
No new bargaining sessions have been planned since the heads of both sides had an informal meeting Thursday in Manhattan. The MLBPA is expected to make the next proposal after rejecting MLB’s latest on Tuesday.
Spring training games had been scheduled to begin last Saturday and Opening Day had been slated for March 31.
The fund, the MLBPA said in a statement, “will be administered by Major League Baseball Players Association and the AFL-CIO and distributed to stadium workers and others who face financial hardship through no fault of their own due to the MLB franchise owners’ lockout.’’
It listed concession crews, electricians, ushers, security, transportation, janitors, television and radio broadcasting crews and groundskeepers among the groups impacted by the lockout.
As a result of the continued lockout, the MLBPA began a hardship fund for employees of the ballparks. Stephen Dunn“There are a lot of people who make our game great. Many aren’t seen or heard, but they are vital to the entertainment experience of our games,” MLBPA Executive Board leaders Andrew Miller and Max Scherzer said in a statement. “Unfortunately, they will also be among those affected by the owner-imposed lockout and the cancellation of games. Through this fund, we want to let them know that they have our support.”
The MLBPA said it would distribute the funds to “the hardest hit communities.”
“This fund is intended to support workers who are most affected by the MLB-imposed lockout but whose livelihoods have been disregarded by the owners in their efforts to pressure Players into accepting an unfair deal,” MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark said.
