If you haven’t checked out of all things NBA after the league suspended activities following Rudy Gobert’s positive test results for the coronavirus, you’ve likely noticed a trend unfolding among team governors and players.
A number of franchise owners and players have stepped forward to guarantee the salaries of arena staff and other hourly employees affiliated with the team, yet the Boston Celtics have not.
It isn’t because they’d prefer not to.
The Celtics do not own the building in which they call home court — TD Garden belongs to the sister franchise of the NHL, the Boston Bruins.
#Celtics are working on a plan to compensate their game-night staff in the wake of season suspension. But the TD Garden workers are not employed by the Celtics. Suggestion: the Celtics and #Bruins work together to form a compensation package for TD Garden workers.
— gary washburn (@GwashburnGlobe) March 14, 2020
So, working out a means of compensating employees which are technically not their own is taking some work, but the Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn reports the Celtics are working on a plan to get this taken care of.
No word yet on whether it involves the Bruins organization, but one has to think that the call has at least been made.
Knowing the history of strong community engagement with both organizations, it seems likely it’s more a matter of time rather than if some kind of aid is made available to the local workers who make games for both teams possible.
And with the impact of social isolation practices and game suspensions already taking a big toll on the local economy, such aid will be greatly needed.
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