Giants, A’s pledge $1 million each for ballpark staff

The Giants and A’s are joining the other 28 majorleague teams in committing $1 million each to their ballpark employees amid the league’s shutdown.

In a statement, the Giants said they have established a $1 million fund to assist gameday staff affected by the postponement of the MLB season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Our event staff is the heart and soul of Oracle Park,” Giants President and CEO Larry Baer said in a statement. “During these challenging times, we want to provide peace of mind and support to our event staff employees so they can focus on their family and loved ones.”

The Giants said they will also ask their ownership group and business partners to provide support and provide details about the fund to event staff “in the coming days.”

The A’s said they are establishing a $1 million employee relief fund and will provide more details soon.

“Our gameday staff is the heartbeat of our organization,” the A’s said in a statement.

On Monday, Major League Baseball announced the start of the regular season will be pushed back in accordance with a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guideline restricting gatherings of 50plus people for the next eight weeks. All 30 teams committed on Tuesday to help cover lost wages for stadium workers until games resume, which likely won’t happen until at least midMay.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement Tuesday that he had been approached by team representatives about providing aid to gameday workers.

“The timing of these announcements will vary because of the need to coordinate with state and local laws as well as collective bargaining obligations in an effort to maximize the benefits realized by each group of employees,” Manfred said. “I am proud that our clubs came together so quickly and uniformly to support these individuals who provide so much to the game we love.”