Oracle workers vote to strike

Concession workers at Oracle Park voted Saturday to strike in response to concerns over safety during the coronavirus pandemic, health care and hazard pay, union officials announced Saturday evening.

The strike vote — in which 96.7% of food service workers voted in favor — authorizes union members to walk out and strike at any point, according to Unite Here Local 2, the hospitality workers’ union representing hundreds of workers at the Giants’ ballpark.

The union did not say whether a strike was scheduled. But action by the workers could be especially disruptive to the team as it pursues the NL West title and a playoff spot in September. The Giants’ home game against the Dodgers on Sunday will be shown on ESPN.

Giants officials told The Chronicle in a statement Saturday that the organization makes “the health and safety of everyone working and visiting Oracle Park a top priority,” adding that they operate the stadium in compliance with local and state health guidelines.

Officials added that Bon Appétit Management Co., which contracts with the Giants for food service work and employs the workers, and the union are bargaining for a contract and that they “encourage both sides to work productively to reach an agreement as soon as possible.”

Aurora Rodriguez, a cook who has worked at Oracle Park for 20 years, said in a statement Saturday that she and her colleagues are “ready to go on strike to keep ourselves safe from COVID and for our health care and wages.”

Ahead of the vote, several workers told The Chronicle that their wages and health care benefits are the main concerns.

The workers said that they must work 10 events per month in order to qualify for health insurance, but union representatives said there are only nine events scheduled in the coming months.

The vote comes after at least 20 Giants concession workers were infected with the coronavirus since the stadium reopened to the public, according to union representatives. The stadium reopened in April and expanded to full capacity in late June. Union representatives said mask and social distancing guidelines are not being enforced at the stadium, and workers are requesting hazard pay of an additional $3 per hour.

Roughly 86% of active stadium workers voted, union representatives said.