Warriors’ Concessions Workers Win “Best Union Contract in the NBA”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, October 2, 2023

Contact: Ted Waechter [email protected]

Golden State Warriors’ Food Service Workers Win $7/Hour Wage Increases, Affordable Health Care, and More

“Best Contract in the NBA” for Nearly 650 Chase Center Workers, Union Says

San Francisco, California – Food service workers at Chase Center voted by 96.4% to ratify their first union contract on Tuesday, September 26, 2023. The contract provides workers, who are members of the UNITE HERE Local 2 union and employed by Warriors’ food service contractor Bon Appetit, with significant wage increases and a pathway to attain year-round health care. The union says the contract is the best for any food service workers in the NBA.

The contract includes:

Total wage increases between $4.50/hour and $8/hour depending on position. The typical worker, a concessions cashier, will get a $7.20 raise to $27.75/hour.
Affordable family health care, including platinum medical, dental, and vision insurance. No cost for individuals. Low cost for families.
Defined-benefit pension plan.
Job security and protections against new technology.

The new Chase Center contract matches the standard set by concessions workers at Oracle Park, who averted a near-strike in 2021 to win their contract. Both contracts focused on reducing insurance eligibility thresholds, so workers with a seasonal job at each location will now be able to maintain year-round health care coverage.

“I’m overwhelmed with excitement about the overall contract. If we work five days a month, we are entitled to the benefits, including pension and health care, and that’s phenomenal! I take medicine every day, so I need my health care,” said Rhonda Mitchell, a stand lead with Bon Appetit at Chase Center. “I love my job because it exposes me to different cultures through the people I work with and the food I serve, and now I can go to work without worrying about getting the health care I need.”

“The Warriors are the most valuable team in the NBA, and this is a contract worthy of their stature – the best for any concessions workers in the league,” said Anand Singh, President of UNITE HERE Local 2. “Food service workers with Bon Appetit at Chase Center stuck together, and their time and effort paid off. This agreement establishes genuinely good, family-sustaining jobs so the community can share in the Warriors’ success.”

A negotiating committee led by union members with UNITE HERE Local 2 negotiated with representatives of Bon Appetit for two years before coming to an agreement. The contract covers 650 workers, including concessions cashiers, bartenders, servers, cooks, dishwashers, runners, butlers, warehouse attendants and more. It will be in place until July 1, 2025.

UNITE HERE Local 2 is the hospitality workers’ union in San Francisco and Bay Area representing 15,000+ workers in hotels, restaurants, food services, Oakland International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, and more.