The A’s fans in the Bay Area are still grasping the reality of no longer seeing them play in Oakland, while concession workers at the Coliseum are still fighting for benefits they say they earned.
Longtime fan Malcolm Toffolo and his wife traveled from New York to watch his beloved A’s one last time.
“I cried like a baby the whole game,” Toffolo said.
“There were a lot of people around us. We saw a lot of grown men shedding a lot of tears,” Lindsay Toffolo said.
They decided to have some wine in the afternoon to deal with the gloomy feeling that they are still trying to understand.
“Right now it’s kind of a hangover from yesterday’s excitement,” Toffolo said.
As fans grapple with mixed emotions, concession workers continue to fight for what they believe they are entitled to: severance and health benefits they say they have earned.
“These workers are still here. It’s not too late to do what’s right for the workers and the community,” said Yulisa Elenes, vice president of Unite Here Local 2.
Unite Here Local 2 says it was told days ago that no severance would be given, and has not heard from Aramark’s negotiating team since Monday.
They also say Aramark said it would not pay for the health care coverage they say they already qualify for.
The union says the contract written last year states that the hours they work one year pay for the next year’s benefits.
But Elenes says Aramark won’t deliver the benefits built this season.
“When they came back with nothing, not even the health insurance that the employees had already earned, it was really disturbing,” Elenes said.
“We are negotiating in good faith with the union regarding the implications of the A’s departure and are prepared to offer those affected available positions in other parts of our organization,” said Aramark spokesperson Debbie Albert.
For the Toffolos, it’s strange to see remnants and memorabilia from a team that played its last game in Oakland.
“It’s no longer the Oakland A’s, but to us it will always be the Oakland A’s,” Lindsay Toffolo said.
“Their departure means I will be focusing my time and attention elsewhere,” said Malcolm Toffolo.
Kenny Choi
