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Oriole Park Concession Workers Hold Car Caravan Protest, Call For Pay Amid MLB Suspension

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Among those hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic have been concession workers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, with no baseball right now, they find themselves unemployed.

On Thursday afternoon, concession workers held a car caravan protest at the stadium.

The Orioles did commit to paying baseball operations employees through the end of May, but that doesn't include concession workers.

CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE:

"We are struggling," one concession worker told WJZ. "We are part of the experience. We are part of why the fans come here. We cook great food, we offer great service."

The workers claim they're not getting paid because they are contracted workers and not directly employed by the team. Other teams have provided financial relief to concession workers; including the Yankees, Red Sox and Padres.

Delaware North, the company that operates concessions at Camden Yards, responded to the protest in a statement to WJZ:

"We understand the hardship this unprecedented situation has caused our dedicated part-time employees in Baltimore and more than 50,000 others around the country. Unfortunately, the impact of the crisis on the hospitality industry has been deeper and longer lasting than anticipated, leaving nearly all of Delaware North's businesses temporarily closed for two months and causing significant financial losses. We have been forced to place more than two-thirds of our 3,100 full-time employees on temporary leave, and thousands of part-time employees cannot be scheduled for work as a result of the shuttered operations. We greatly appreciate all of our employees and hope they remain healthy and safe as we look forward to resuming operations and welcoming them back at the appropriate time."

For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.

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