Multiple NBA teams have made a promise to help their hourly and part-time arena employees amidst the NBA’s hiatus.
When Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie broached the subject on Twitter, Nets governor and Barclays Center owner Joe Tsai announced a plan was being put together.
On Saturday, the Nets and Barclays Center announced their commitment to their hourly employees. These employees will be covered through the end of May for games that are not played and events canceled due to the statewide ban of events with 500 people or more, unless those games or events are rescheduled before.
As of March 14, the Nets and Barclays Centers’ commitment is the longest one any team has made to their hourly employees.
Here is their full statement:
Hourly employees at Barclays Center are the bedrock of the fan experience in the arena. Whether it’s a big smile as fans enter the building or keeping the season clean or making sure the concession stands are stocked with your favorite items., they are on the frontlines to make our fans feel special. They keep the lights on and the house clean, and they are the first ones to arrive and last ones to leave the building.
While all of us are negatively affected by suspension of the NBA season and a state-wide ban on events with 500 people or more, we are especially aware of the difficulties faced by our hourly employees. When games and events are cancelled or postponed, work stops and so do paychecks.
With the aim of helping Barclays Center staff get through this difficult time, we commit to provide relief to hourly employees for the paychecks they would have earned if Brooklyn Nets regular season games and non-Nets events at Barclays Center were to continue as originally scheduled. The plan will cover the period from now until the end of May unless the events are rescheduled before that. We will work closely and expeditiously with our partners, including service contractors, event promoters and unions to implement this plan.
It is our goal to alleviate the hit to household cash flow from work stoppage for people impacted so they can pay for necessary expenses such as rent, utilities, food and daily necessities. We want to let our Barclays Center staff know that nobody is left behind and we are in this together.
As for fans who had tickets to the postponed games, those tickets will be honored on the rescheduled dates. If the games are not played, or the games are played in an empty arena, fans will have the option to receive credit for a future game or a refund.