DETROIT – As the Detroit Tigers look ahead to Opening Day, they’re still working to ensure there will be staff to man the park and take care of the field. The union for some 270 workers and the team still haven’t reached a contract for this season.
Local 4 News was told that the park’s team and employees aren’t close to an agreement yet. We’re talking security, janitors, and the grounds crew for the field who haven’t had a contract since January.
Negotiations between the Tigers and the union for park workers are entering the bottom of the ninth with just a week left before Opening Day at home.
Comerica Park could be without key staff.
The dispute is over the contract with the union representing 270 housekeepers, security guards, ushers, and groundskeepers, including those who tend the field. They want a pay bump from $11.86 an hour to $15, equal pay among employees, and a better team-oriented culture.
Porcha Perry has been a housekeeper, cleaning Comerica Park before and after events for six years.
“If they don’t have us there, how will they get the ballpark rolling,” said Perry. “We are on the front line; we are there, we clean it up, we get it together.”
So far, Perry says negotiations are at a standstill. With just days to go before an expected 40,000 fans are expected to show up for Opening Day, Perry says the outlook for workers being there isn’t positive.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Tigers said, in part:
“We are actively bargaining in good faith with the union to reach a contract. Initial proposals have been exchanged, and we will be meeting for our first session on April 13. We look forward to continuing constructive dialogue with the union until an agreement is reached.”
Tickets for Opening Day are standing room only.
If a deal isn’t reached by then or before that next meeting, a Tigers spokesperson told Grant Hermes that the team is planning accordingly and will have staff.