Stadium ushers, ticket takers and ticket sellers at PNC Park announced they are on strike.
The Pittsburgh Stadium Independent Employees Union (PSIEU) announced Sunday night that they had voted in favor of a strike, starting at the beginning of the new homestand on April 20 against the Reds, after rejecting the Pirates' latest contract offer.
According to the PSIEU website, the union plans to picket outside of the stadium starting Thursday. The board will contact Pirates management to expedite the next steps.
In a statement sent to DK Pittsburgh Sports on behalf of the Pirates' organization, senior vice president of communications Brian Warecki said, "We were disappointed that PSIEU did not ratify the proposed agreement yesterday. We have bargained in good faith with union leadership under the guidance of a federal mediator for several months."
Per the Pirates, some of the proposed benefits from the team included increasing wages as much to 32% compared to 2021, and upping that to as much as 40% compared to 2021 by the 2025 season. There would also be an increased lump sum “retro” payment representing the wage increase for all hours worked during the 2022 season.
Under the team's latest proposal, ticket sellers would make $19 per hour and greeters $18.65 per hour in 2023. Ushers would make a base pay of $12.40 per hour in 2023 while continuing to be permitted to accept tips.
Per a report by KDKA earlier this month, PNC Park ushers currently make $9.35 an hour and are fighting for what they call a "fair wage," around the national average of $13.80.
"We were twice told by union leadership that they would take the proposed agreement back to its membership with their full support," Warecki said. "It would be extremely disappointing if members of the union would choose to strike under these circumstances.
"We remain hopeful that the PSIEU membership will ratify an agreement soon. If, however, some members choose not to show up for work, we have contingency plans in place and will be well positioned to host our fans moving forward."
The Pirates have one homestand remaining in April, playing host to the Reds from April 20-23 and the Dodgers from April 25-27. Their next home series after that is May 5-7 against the Blue Jays.
