The Major League Baseball Players Association has started a $1 million fund to assist stadium workers and others financially impacted by the MLB lockout, the union announced Friday.
ESPN reported that MLB planned to set up a similar fund.
In a news release Friday, the players union said the AFL-CIO will assist in distributing the money to those affected by the work stoppage, which has put a pause to the start of spring training and already caused MLB to cancel the first two series of the season.
The season was supposed to begin on March 31, with every team in action.
“There are a lot of people who make our game great,” union executive board members Andrew Miller and Max Scherzer said in a statement. “Many aren’t seen or heard, but they are vital to the entertainment experience of our games. Unfortunately, they will also be among those affected by the owner-imposed lockout and the cancellation of games. Through this fund, we want to let them know that they have our support.”
The owners and players have been unable to come to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement, leading to the ninth work stoppage in MLB history. This is the first MLB season since 1995 to lose games over a work stoppage.
Negotiations between the two sides this week failed to result in a deal.
–Field Level Media