Hundreds of workers are expected to strike outside the South Philadelphia Sports Complex on Monday.
UNITE HERE Philly Local 274, the union that represents the city’s food service workers, announced Sunday night that cooks, servers, bartenders, dishwashers, concession workers, cleaners and retail workers employed by Aramark will take part in the strike outside Citizens Bank Park, the Wells Fargo Center and Lincoln Financial Field on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024.
Aramark, which is headquartered in Philadelphia, provides food and beverage services at all three stadiums.
Organizers said the picket lines would begin before dawn and were expected to grow throughout the day.
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The union said the food service workers voted in favor of authorizing a strike as part of an ongoing campaign to gain wage increases and healthcare coverage.
“Building off prior victories that transformed the Aramark jobs in the South Philadelphia Stadium Complex from seasonal work to year-round jobs, the union is now fighting for these jobs to look like other year-round jobs, with healthcare and family-sustaining wages that keep up with inflation,” a union leader wrote. “The company currently counts employees’ hours worked at each building separately, even though workers are doing the same jobs for the same employer, which leaves many without healthcare benefits. The union has demanded that Aramark determine health insurance eligibility for its employees by aggregating all hours worked across the Stadium Complex and lower the threshold for eligibility.”
In a statement, Aramark said they have been bargaining "in good faith with UNITE HERE Local 274" for over six months and that they "remain focused on delivering a high-quality guest and fan experience."
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"Aramark has bargained in good faith with UNITE HERE Local 274 for over six months. In the five-week period since the union rejected our offer, they have chosen to strike without making any substantive changes to their position. They continue to engage in non-productive tactics choosing to strike again and continuing to seek a boycott of Aramark’s services.
"We value our associates and are proud of the wage progression that has occurred over the past five years. In fact, the average total income inclusive of wages and tips for this group of employees have risen by 61% over the past five years.
"We also continue to offer enhanced benefits as part of the current negotiations with the union. In our last offer, Aramark agreed to two of the union’s benefit eligibility demands: (1) we will count hours worked across all three Philadelphia Sports Complex locations; and (2) we will remove any caps on the number of eligible participants. The result is that all employees who work approximately 28 hours a week per year across any of those locations would have access to healthcare, dental, vision and short-term disability benefits.
"Strikes hurt employees the most and during the last strike at the Wells Fargo Center in April 2024, hundreds of associates crossed the picket line and decided not to participate in the strike and, instead, worked their regularly scheduled shifts. We want to thank them again for their commitment and dedication to the 76ers and their incredible fans.
"Going forward, we intend to continue to bargain in good faith for the benefit of all involved. It is our sincere hope that the union will do the same. In the meantime, we have contingency plans in place for any future strikes and will remain focused on delivering a high-quality guest and fan experience."
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