Hundreds of Aramark workers to strike outside South Philadelphia Sports Complex

Hundreds of workers are expected to strike outside the South Philadelphia Sports Complex on Monday. 

UNITE HERE Philly Local 274, the union that represents the city’s food service workers, announced Sunday night that cooks, servers, bartenders, dishwashers, concession workers, cleaners and retail workers employed by Aramark will take part in the strike outside Citizens Bank Park, the Wells Fargo Center and Lincoln Financial Field on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. 

Aramark, which is headquartered in Philadelphia, provides food and beverage services at all three stadiums. 

Organizers said the picket lines will begin before dawn and are expected to grow throughout the day.

The union said the food service workers voted in favor of authorizing a strike as part of an ongoing campaign to gain wage increases and healthcare coverage. 

“Building off prior victories that transformed the Aramark jobs in the South Philadelphia Stadium Complex from seasonal work to year-round jobs, the union is now fighting for these jobs to look like other year-round jobs, with healthcare and family-sustaining wages that keep up with inflation,” a union leader wrote. “The company currently counts employees’ hours worked at each building separately, even though workers are doing the same jobs for the same employer, which leaves many without healthcare benefits. The union has demanded that Aramark determine health insurance eligibility for its employees by aggregating all hours worked across the Stadium Complex and lower the threshold for eligibility.” 

NBC10 reached out to Aramark for comment. We will include a statement once we hear back from them.