MLB players step up to help pay stadium workers affected by lockout

The MLB Player’s Association announced the creation of a fund that will help stadium workers affected by the league lockout.

The MLB lockout is still in effect after the league and MLB Player’s Association could not reach a deal on a new collective bargaining agreement this past week. With that, every team’s first two series of the season were effectively canceled. While the lockout is seen as a battle between the league and the player’s union, there are stadium workers affected by this as well.

On Friday, the MLB Player’s Association released a statement, announcing that they have created a $1 million fund to “support workers affected by the lockout and cancellation of games by Major League Baseball owners.”

MLB players created $1 million fund to support stadium workers affected by lockout

“There are a lot of people who make our game great. Many aren’t seen or heard, but they are vital to the entertainment experience of our games,” said MLB Executive Board leaders Andrew Miller and Max Scherzer in the press release. “Unfortunately, they will also be among those affected by the owner-imposed lockout and the cancellation of games. Through this fund, we want to let them know that they have our support.”

The MLBPA and the AFL-CIO will help distribute the funds to those stadium workers who are facing financial hardships due to the lockout. In the statement, the MLBPA says they will work with the AFL-CIO to “determine the hardest hit communities and align resource distribution to those who need it most.”

Amir Garrett of the Cincinnati Reds and Lance McCullers of the Houston Astros are among the players who shared the statement on Twitter.

The league and player’s union met last week with a push to get a deal done by the March 1 deadline. MLB made a “best and final offer” to the MLBPA, which was declined. As a result, the lockout continued and the start of the 2022 regular season is still up in the air.

Negotiators for the league and player’s union have been meeting in New York.

With stadium workers affected by the lockout that seemingly has no end in sight, the Player’s Association stepped up to help them out financially.