USA TODAY: Oracle Park workers demand help from SF Giants

BIG NEWS: USA TODAY reports on ballpark workers’ powerful campaign for justice. Click here to read the article.

“It’s devastating. I [used to work] three jobs and [now they’re all] gone,” said Connie Sarmiento, a cashier at Oracle Park. “They’re billionaires,” she said of the Giants. “This is the right time to show their support for us, go back on the table, negotiate with the Local 2, and try to deal with this pandemic.”

“Many of these workers who have spent decades providing service to this team are being told, ‘Good luck, hopefully we see you next year, good luck paying rent, good luck securing health care in a global pandemic.’ We find that unacceptable,” said Anand Singh, President of UNITE HERE Local 2. “We think these workers deserve better and the Giants have the power and the means to do better.”

Click here to read the article.

Oracle Park PROTEST: Giants v. Dodgers!

Hundreds of us came to last week’s protest – but that was just the beginning. After our protest, the Giants’ food service subcontractor Bon Appetit sent workers an important email:

“We apologize for the previous communication terminating your employment at the ballpark. This letter rescinds our July 27 email communication to you regarding your employment status at Oracle Park and confirms that you remain an existing employee on temporary lay off status.”

This is a big win, but it’s not enough for Oracle Park workers who are struggling to feed their families! We won’t let the Giants abandon ballpark workers while they continue to make millions during COVID-19. Join us for a social-distanced picket and car caravan before the Giants vs. Dodgers game on Tuesday at 5:30PM.

Safety First!

We asked the Hotel industry to negotiate with us about a SAFE reopening. Rather than deal with us in a constructive manner they are embarking on a PR campaign, telling the public that Local 2 and the city government are very unfair to them.
These are the four main elements of our proposal:
Safety First! Real protocols to protect workers and guests.
Recall rights: More senior workers can decline work without disrupting unemployment benefits.
Medical Benefits: Hotels pay for benefits beyond October 31st.
This would be a limited term agreement — for the pandemic.
The Hotel Companies responded that they have no obligation to bargain about SAFETY and re-opening.
If any question please call your field representative.
Stay safe.

BIG ACTION: SF Giants, do right by stadium workers!

Click here for full info on Facebook event page!

Friday, Aug. 14 at 6PM!

Baseball is back, but the Giants are leaving stadium workers behind. We’re planning a BIG action – join us for a SOCIAL DISTANCE PICKET or CAR CARAVAN before the Giants vs. A’s game on Friday Aug. 14 at 6PM.

We have served Giant’s fans loyally for many years, and now we’re struggling to make ends meet. The Giants continue to make millions during the pandemic, but the team and their subcontractor Bon Appetit refuse to share with the workers! We need every company to understand that they have to support workers during this pandemic.

Click here for more details and RSVP on Facebook event page.

Baseball’s Stadium Workers Are Getting Peanuts From the Billionaire Owners

The MLB has started its COVID-19 season, but billionaire owners are leaving stadium workers out in the cold. We refuse to be left behind after all our years serving Giants fans – Oracle Park workers are going to fight back! Read more about our fight in The Nation.

Allocation Meeting Update

Core Committee Leaders met on Monday July 27, 2020 and adopted the Executive Board’s recommendation to allocate money for pension and wages from the $1.45 per hour increase that we are receiving this year per the class A San Francisco hotel’s contract.

The money will be distributed as follows: 46 cents goes to our pension and the rest goes to our wages, which will mean a $1.10 per hour raise for non-tipped workers and a 55 cent per hour raise for tipped workers.

With this allocation we’re sending a message to the industry that the pension will be a priority in our next negotiations, and that we expect management to step up and cover our medical benefits beyond October.

Gate Gourmet: Use your free money for the workers!

We demand that Gate Gourmet use the government CARES Act money to recall and pay laid off workers immediately. While the government is awarding the company over millions dollars, hundreds of us Gate Gourmet workers will not survive and may be financially ruined! The company’s intention to recall only 35% of the workforce through September is appalling especially as their main competitor recall much more! Please do the right thing by recalling us back to work and use that CARES Act money to honor our loyalty and save our families.

CLICK HERE: Tell Gate Gourmet to use the government CARES Act money to recall and pay laid off workers immediately!

Fight for the HEROES Act!

The HEROES Act passed the Democratic-controlled House in early May, but Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell threatens to vote the bill down.

The HEROES Act among other things:

  • Expands Medicare and Medicaid so workers who loose medical benefits can receive care at no cost.
  • Extends unemployment benefits, including the $600 per week and grants a second round of $1200 stimulus checks.
  • Protects our economy with a safe reopening
  • Bans evictions.

Let’s send a strong united message with emails in support of the HEROES Act. Click here to add your name and send your Senators an email about the HEROES Act.

We Are Essential, Not Expendable

Our President Anand Singh send the Hotel Industry a set of proposals that should guide the Hotel’s reopening.
The Union’s proposals are all about bringing workers back to work in a safe environment.
We’re demanding the highest levels of health and safety including:
  • Training and staffing
  • PPE and cleaning equipment
  • Thorough disinfecting prior to reopening for all areas of the hotels
  • Social distancing for workers and guests
  • Daily room cleaning
  • Strong workload protections
  • Health benefits
  • COVID 19 testing
The industry should understand that we will not endorse a reopening that ignores our demands for job security, health and safety.
We won’t be another Las Vegas, NV where the bosses reopened the strip as COVID 19 cases rise.
Frontline workers of local 226 say “hotel and casino guests are gambling with our lives” by allowing guests on property without wearing masks. Only about 10% of guests are wearing them. Read more here from Huffpost.

Union Trustees Extend Medical Benefits

Benefits Extended through Oct. 31, 2020

The Union Trustees of our Medical Benefit Trust Fund proposed, and a clear majority of all Trustees voted to extend Medical Benefits for all participants of our Local 2 San Francisco Trust Fund through October 31st, 2020.

Local 2’s San Mateo County Trust Fund is in the process of taking the same action: extending Medical Benefit coverage through October 31st, 2020.

The Union is able to extend benefits because the Fund is continuing to pay for benefits (to Kaiser, Blue Shield, etc.) out of RESERVES (extra money) that our Union has built up over the years.

Since our Union contract settlement of 2006, each year we have had a “bucket of money” to spend on Wages, Pension contributions, and Medical Benefits. The Officers of the Union, in consultation with the Union Committee leadership, have made very prudent decisions which have built the strength of our Medical Benefit Fund. Each year the Union Committee has met to decide how much money would go into Medical Benefits, how much to Pension, and how much of a Wage increase we would get.

It was because of money built up in reserves that the Union Trustees were able to propose and implement Dental Benefit Improvements (from $2000 to $4000 per year coverage) earlier this year.

The wisdom of those decisions is apparent now. Because our Union did not just grab the biggest raises possible, but continued to built the Pension, and continued to build our Medical Benefit reserves, our Union Trust Fund is able to pay for our Medical Benefits during this time of crisis.

Enjoy the security of your Medical Benefits! You paid for them out of wage increases our Union chose to forgo in favor of building our Medical Benefit Reserves.