MLB teams pledge $1M each for stadium workers

With the start date of the baseball season unknown amid the coronavirus-induced shutdown, Major League Baseball took a step Tuesday toward assisting stadium workers affected by the closure. All 30 teams pledged $1 million to aid workers who will lose paychecks during the shutdown.

"Over the past 48 hours, I have been approached by representatives of all 30 clubs to help assist the thousands of ballpark employees affected by the delay in the start of the Major League Baseball season," MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. "Motivated by a desire to help some of the most valuable members of the baseball community, each Club has committed $1 million. The individual clubs will be announcing more details surrounding this support effort in their local communities. The timing of these announcements will vary because of the need to coordinate with state and local laws as well as collective bargaining obligations in an effort to maximize the benefits realized by each group of employees.

"I am proud that our clubs came together so quickly and uniformly to support these individuals who provide so much to the game we love." Last week, MLB canceled the remaining spring training games and announced that the start of the regular season would be pushed back two weeks, to mid-April.

However, as the pandemic spread, MLB revised its timetable on Monday, stating that no games would be played for at least eight weeks. That means Opening Day will occur no early than mid-May. If the season winds up being reduced from 162 games, the move would be costly for stadium workers, who are paid per game.

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