Pittsburgh Post Gazette - On Wednesday, the Service Employees International Union pressed the Pirates for better pay, noting that the cleaners are working under a five-year contract that expired in February. Cleaners at the park currently earn $12.37 an hour, compared with $17 an hour earned on average by a commercial office cleaner in Downtown, the release said.
The union is pushing for at least $15 an hour for the workers, said Sam Williamson, Western Pennsylvania area director for 32BJ SEIU, the local chapter of the property services labor union.
After meeting with the Pirates three or four times, Mr. Williamson said, the Pirates’ current offer stands at $12.77 an hour, a 40-cent hourly raise. The length of the contract has not been settled, he said, describing the two sides as “very far apart.”
I know what you're thinking, "Greg how does this story relate to sports really?" Thanks for asking imaginary person I assume is actually reading this. It relates because these janitors/cleaners are the reason you the fan are able to get to your sit without wafting through a wave of trash that YOU the fan left in the previous game.
Seriously, look around after the next professional game you go to and see the sea of crap people leave in the aisles and everywhere else in the ballpark. It has always amazed me just how lazy and unwilling people are about carrying the soda or nacho tray an extra 50 ft. to the trash bins located outside of every section of seats.
I mean, I wouldn't want to clean that up if people in my same line of work were making $5 more an hour than I was, and not in a gross a atmosphere. The people making $17 dollars an hour are working in buildings, where people put the trash in bins. The worst thing they may have to clean is the dirty table after a late night romp between a boss and his secretary. Baseball Janitors have it way worse with everyone chucking food and drinks everywhere. Oh, and they do the majority of their work in the middle of summer, where it's hot, humid, and lacking A/C.
This is also the second time in two years the Pirates have had a labour dispute and that just doesn't reflect well on ownership. The majority of baseball and professional teams never really have labor issues that reach twitter trends. Not a good look guys, I know the team isn't great so fans are really gonna leave a shit show behind. If you don't want PNC Ballpark looking like a part time dump, I'd pay the people unless Robert Nutting himself wants to do the work. Something tells me the multi-millionaire will pass on that, and this will all get figured out.
I can't give you sexy stories everytime around, but this one is a shoutout to all the stadium cleaning crews, because without you the places would wreak of stale beer, nachos, and bodily fluids so thanks for what you do.
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