SEIU Local 1 Ballpark Services Workers at Kauffman Stadium Win Strong New Contract

Kansas City, MO - Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1 workers who help ensure Kauffman Stadium – home to the Kansas City Royals – is safe and functioning have ratified a new three-year contract that guarantees four years of good raises.

These union ballpark services workers will receive wage increases with starting pay at $16 an hour, increasing to $17 after 90 days and then scaling as high as $21.50 per hour for 2023 - and every Ballpark Services worker will receive a 5% increase every year through 2026.

Additionally, Local 1 Ballpark Services workers won Juneteenth as a paid holiday, three days of paid bereavement leave which has been expanded to cover domestic partners, and increased pay for both the day of and day after special events, which will help offset the added work of restoring the stadium after non-baseball events.

This contract represents a significant step forward in improving labor standards at Kauffman Stadium, where some workers still make just above minimum wage, despite years of service to the Kansas City Royals.

“I am proud of the new contract my coworkers and I negotiated, which will help support us and our families,” said Local 1 Ballpark Services worker William Williams. “Most of us have been here for over 20 years - and something needed to be done. After weeks of back and forth with management, we were able to come to an agreement on pay and benefits that my coworkers and I found fair and dignified. We came together, we fought for what we deserved, and we won. I am happy that we could come to this agreement before Opening Day and am excited to make sure that Royals fans and visiting fans will get the game day experience we expect them to have.”

“The wage increases that Local 1 members fought for reflect the hard work they've done - both for the Kansas City Royals and as union members," said Rose Welch, Lead Organizer for Kansas City Division of SEIU Local 1. "These dedicated workers are crucial to the team - without their hard work, there would be no Royals baseball. This is a positive step not only for these workers, but also for their fellow union workers who also serve at Kauffman Stadium, and are still currently fighting to win fair pay and safe working conditions from management."

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Service Employees International Union Local 1 unites 50,000 workers throughout the Midwest, including janitors, security officers, airport workers, higher education faculty, food service workers and others. Local 1 is committed to improving the lives of its members and all working people by winning real economic justice and standing at the forefront of the fight for immigrant, racial and environmental justice.