Cooks, servers bartenders, concession workers, dishwashers, warehouse workers and more of the behind the scenes employees who help present sporting events regularly in South Philadelphia, are hitting the picket lines on Tuesday.
Employees of Aramark, who are members of the UNITE HERE Philly Local 274 union -- which claims to represent more than 4,000 hotel and food service workers -- have announced plans to strike in search of, what they called, "family-sustaining wage increases and healthcare coverage."
"Our employer Aramark reported $18 billion in revenue in 2023, but many of us can’t afford health insurance," a statement on a website for the union reads. "We’re standing up for health care and family-sustaining wages that adjust for inflation."
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This week, in a statement ahead on Tuesday's strike, officials with Local 274 said they are calling on Aramark -- the Philadelphia-based corporation that provides food and beverage services to the Wells Fargo Center, Citizens Bank Park and Lincoln Financial Field -- to provide year-round jobs, with health care benefits and and wages that keep up with inflation.
The union claims Aramark counts employee hours at different venues separately -- even though, they said, workers do the same jobs for the same employer no matter the venue. The union said this keeps many workers from being eligible for health benefits.
Carlton Epps, a union bartender, who was in place before dawn outside of the home of the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday, said the situation makes it feel like workers are putting in full-time work for part-time pay.
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"We are fighting for a just cause. We just want a fair contract," he told NBC10. "The workers are upset. We are tired of it. We have people that are working for this company for more than 20 years and still don't make $20 an hour."
For Samantha Spector, who told NBC10 that she has worked for Aramark for the past nine years as a server and bartender, even though she puts in more than 30 hours a week at the three stadiums, the single mother said she needs to work another job in order to afford health benefits.
"I have another job outside of here just to try to get healthcare," Spector said, noting that the company likely didn't expect workers to strike. "This is a big statement. I don't think they ever thought this was going to come."
Workers are calling for Aramark to include all hours worked throughout the three stadiums and lower the threshold for healthcare eligibility.
The union said that Aramark is in contract negotiations with Local 274 for new collective bargaining agreements covering food service operations at Lincoln Financial Field and Citizens Bank Park.
Yet, workers said they aren't calling for Philly's sports fans to boycott their favorite teams. Instead, they said, for those going to games -- like Tuesday night's Sixers game against the Detroit Pistons -- workers are asking for fans to tailgate or eat elsewhere before the game instead of patronizing Aramark's food and beverage options inside the Wells Fargo Center.
In a statement on the strike to NBC10, Aramark representatives said the company is "committed to bargaining in good faith."
“Aramark remains committed to bargaining in good faith to reach a settlement that works for all parties. Unfortunately, the union and its members have elected to commence a strike," the company said in a statement. "Aramark has contingency plans in place to ensure our services are not interrupted and that the fan experience remains strong.”
Local 274 has a website with more information and testimonials from workers who have hit the picket line. For more information, visit www.uniteherephilly.org/strikewatch.
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