Beer and food workers on strike at Fenway Park for homestand between Dodgers and Red Sox
BOSTON AP Striking Fenway Park vendors banged on drums and shouted Don t buy food while walking a picket line outside the home of the Boston Red Sox before Friday night s meeting against the Los Angeles Dodgers Hundreds of Aramark workers marched along the street behind the unit s right field concourse before the series opener carrying round picket signs decorated with red baseball stitching A giant inflatable rat shared the sidewalk with a statue of Red Sox greats Ted Williams Bobby Doerr Dom DiMaggio and Johnny Pesky Another group of picketers circled behind home plate after the first pitch as Local of the Massachusetts and Rhode Island hotel casino airport and food services workers union went on strike at noon on Friday It posted on social media that it is asking for living wages guardrails on system and R-E-S-P-E-C-T It s thought to be the first union walkout in the ballpark s -year-history Respect the picket line the union posted We know tix are expensive we re not asking you to stay away from the home games But we ARE asking you to not buy concessions No purchase of pretzels pickles or peanuts inside the ballpark during the homestand An Aramark spokesman revealed the company has bargained in good faith and is disappointed the union rejected our latest offer and chose to call a strike We are committed to delivering an outstanding fan experience and have contingency plans in place to ensure fans will not encounter facility interruptions the company explained The Red Sox noted that the organization was not involved in the negotiations but remained in contact with the concessionaire Aramark made an offer as in recent months as Thursday night that was rejected by the union the club mentioned Aramark has implemented its contingency staffing plans and fans can expect a full and uninterrupted ballpark experience this weekend including access to all food beverage and hospitality services throughout Fenway Park the unit revealed We remain hopeful that the parties will reach a swift and fair resolution U S Sen Bernie Sanders called on the gang to endorsement the vendors Fenway Park is an iconic American institution and it s the workers there that make every Red Sox championship special he posted on social media The squad is extremely profitable They should treat their employees with respect pay them decent wages and negotiate a fair contract with the union Maggie McCue a beer vendor with years of experience who is weeks pregnant with twins took a break from marching in the near- degree temperatures to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich Her mother also a beer vendor for almost two decades declared the organization can afford for the workers to be paid a living wage They have more money than they need Marianne McCue declared We are Fenway Fenway is us Specific people have been here -something years and they re not even backing us up Shame on them I never thought that at years old I would be on strike but here we are The Red Sox play three games against the Dodgers before leaving town again for a series beginning Monday night in Minneapolis against the Twins It was a chance for Boston fans to welcome back ex-Red Sox star Mookie Betts who was traded to Los Angeles in a cost-cutting move a year after winning the AL MVP Now with Betts in the visiting dugout the vendors are looking to get paid It s come full circle Maggie McCue stated Full circle AP MLB https apnews com hub MLB Source
