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Temp workers at Target Field demonstrated Wednesday for better wages and working conditions – and got the attention of stadium management, who agreed to a meeting to discuss their issues.
About 50 workers and supporters rallied in the rain outside Target Field to protest the conditions facing concessions workers who are employed by temporary agencies.
The demonstration was organized by NOC, Neighborhoods Organizing for Change, after workers approached the organization about their issues. By Wednesday, 136 temporary concessions workers had signed a petition calling for higher pay and better working conditions.
NOC Executive Director Anthony Newby said that, in contrast to union-represented Target Field employees, the temp workers:
- Earn lower pay
- Wait in line for several hours without pay to find out if they have work
- Often are called into work with only a few hours’ notice
- Receive their pay through debit cards subject to fees
- Often are required to work without breaks
The vast majority of the temp workers are African-American, raising questions of racial equity, Newby said.
“There’s a two-tiered system in this city,” he said. “It’s majority black workers in these lines and that ain’t right.”
Several workers spoke at the rally about their experiences. They said recruiters for the temp agencies often go to low-income neighborhoods to find workers. One man said he was recruited at a North Minneapolis McDonald’s with promises of a good job, but the reality fell short of the promises.
Joined by a drumline, the workers marched and chanted on the plaza near Target Field. Then Newby announced that Delaware North Sportservice had agreed to a meeting, expected to be held Monday, to discuss the workers’ concerns. He also said that Delaware North would seek participation by a representative of the Minnesota Twins.
Delaware North has operated food and beverage services at Target Field since the ballpark opened in 2010. When the ballpark was built, Delaware North agreed to a union contract with UNITE HERE Local 17.
Newby said the company contracts with temporary agencies when it does not have enough workers to staff the concession stands.