Rocky Wirtz and Jerry Reinsdorf have pledged to pay non-salaried Blackhawks, Bulls and United Center employees through the previously scheduled regular season. When the NHL indefinitely suspended its season in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, questions were raised about whether non-salaried arena workers will be compensated during the unprecedented hiatus.
In their statement, Wirtz and Reinsdorf stand by their employees.
Our employees, whether they be front office staff, or our approximately 1,200 day-of-game staff, are family, and we will navigate this unprecedented situation together.
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The Bulls join a number of athletes and organizations pledging to support the arena employees who are so central to the game day experience. Around the NHL, the Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins and Vancouver Canucks have all pledged to continue paying the salaries of arena staff while games are suspended.
Wirtz and Reinsdorf are compensating all 1,200 employees for the 14 regular season Bulls and Blackhawks games that have been postponed, which totals around $3.3 million. Crain’s Chicago Business reports that the United Center’s payroll for arena workers is approximately $240,000 per game.
Related: Where things stand with Blackhawks during COVID-19 hiatus