SEIU Local 1 Arena Workers, Labor Leaders, Elected Officials and Community Members Host Press Conference on NFL Draft’s Impact on Working Families
Union workers throughout the Sports Arena Industry gathered to demand investments into working families beyond the Draft
DETROIT, MI– Today, Wednesday, April 24, 2024 at 11 A.M. EST, SEIU Local 1 arena workers, labor leaders, elected officials, and community members held a press conference to discuss the impact the National Football League (NFL) Draft has had on hard-working Detroiters and the essential role they play in ensuring the event is safe and successful. Detroit’s sports arena workers – who are primarily Black, brown, immigrant, and women workers – often do the invisible work of ensuring sports entertainment arenas are safe, clean and sanitized, properly constructed, and well-serviced for all to enjoy.
Last fall, the Detroit Sports Arena Industry Standards Board was created to bring together arena workers, government officials, and employers within the industry to recommend workplace standards such as wages, employee benefits, safety, scheduling, and training standards. Detroit sports arena workers are the foundation to ensuring sporting events in general are properly constructed, cleaned, secured, lit, and food distributed. The City of Detroit is investing funds in Downtown Detroit to ensure the thousands of fans attending the NFL Draft receive a remarkable Motor City experience but this same sentiment needs to be expanded to the communities of the hardworking people who make this event possible. Last year’s NFL Draft in Kansas City produced an economic impact of $164.3 million, including $108.8 million in direct spending and $55.5 million in induced/indirect impact. The total attendance for the 2023 NFL Draft was estimated around 312,000. The economic impact and attendees that the NFL Draft will have on the City of Detroit is projected to be greater given that the City of Detroit is near six other NFL cities. SEIU Local 1 workers work to ensure downtown is thriving and a hub for more sporting events like the Draft to be hosted, their communities cannot be overlooked and deserve investments that allow families to thrive.
“Arena workers from all races, backgrounds and zip codes are the backbone to the success of the many major sporting events that are hosted here in Detroit,” said Detroit Arena Worker and SEIU Local 1 Member Charrise Dale. “The work of arena workers often goes unnoticed, but they are the ones who stayed during the pandemic and are committed to the revitalization of Downtown Detroit. Black, brown, immigrant, and women arena workers deserve to be invested in the way major sporting events are invested in for the City of Detroit”
“The voices of arena workers whether it be stage hands, security officers, janitors or food service workers deserve a voice at the table,” said Detroit Arena Worker Katharine Barnett. “The Sports Arena Industry Standards Board allows for arena workers no matter their race, position, background or zip code a voice at the table to raise concerns around improving Industry Standards across all three Detroit Arenas. Arena workers have the opportunity to make recommendations on basic health, safety, wages, jobs standards and more.”
“As fans come from all over the world to enjoy themselves and root on their favorite prospects, the union workers who bring these sporting events together from start to finish are often overlooked and undervalued,” said SEIU Local 1 Michigan Director and Executive Board Member Brandice Mullen. “The black and brown communities where many arena workers reside deserve to be invested, as they are the ones that make these events possible and successful. Arena workers and working people of Detroit ensure downtown is safe, clean and desirable for historical events like the NFL Draft. Building a Detroit that works for all begins with ensuring these workers are paid, protected and respected.”
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Service Employees International Union Local 1 unites 45,000 workers throughout the Midwest, including janitors, security officers, airport workers, higher education faculty, food service workers, and others. Local 1 is committed to improving the lives of its members and all working people by winning real economic justice and standing at the forefront of the fight for immigrant, racial and environmental justice