Local 1 Kauffman Stadium workers file charges with NLRB against Royals
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The union representing nearly 500 Kauffman Stadium employees is accusing the Royals of intimidating workers and negotiating in bad faith.
The Service Employees International Union includes ushers, parking attendants, ticket sellers and other workers who are part of the fan experience at the stadium.
Rose Welch, an organizer for the SEIU Local 1, said the union and the Royals organization have been involved in a long and often arduous negotiation. This is SEIU’s first contract under John Sherman’s ownership.
Welch said the sticking points in negotiations include several safety issues, as well as proposed wage increases to keep up with inflation.
“There are schedule concerns, fairness, all of these things we should have come to an agreement on and they shouldn’t have,” Welch said.
The SEIU said they had filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on Thursday, outlining a series of problems with the negotiation process, accusing executives of making intimidating comments and cancelling or delaying meetings.
Welch said the union decided to go public with the grievances in light of recent discussions about the team’s interest in a new stadium.
“Before working people in Kansas City decide what they want with a new stadium, they deserve to have all the information,” she said.
The Royals responded to the union’s complaint with a statement saying that they intended to resume talks with SEIU. The statement said:
“Royals remain committed to negotiating in good faith with SEIU Local 1. It would be inappropriate to engage in a public debate with our partners at the SEIU, especially since we are currently working together to reach agreements on behalf of our events staff and grounds & tarp personnel. We are also pleased to report that several months ago we reached an agreement with our ballpark services employees, and we thank SEIU leadership for working alongside us to streamline often outdated language and get this done. We value and respect the role SEIU plays in representing the interests of their bargaining unit employees and look forward to working through the last few issues during our upcoming bargaining sessions.”
The SEIU and the Royals will resume bargaining next week. Their agreement will set a contract for the next three years.
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