TD Garden Employees Worried Over Lack of Financial Support During Sports Shutdown
After many teams have pledged to financially support their arena workers during the sports shutdown, TD Garden employees are concerned over the Bruins' silence on the matter.
Boston remains the only NHL team to not announce a plan for financially supporting its part-time arena employees. The Senators and Wild were some of the last NHL teams to release their plans on Tuesday to support their game-day staff, while clubs like the Penguins and Blackhawks announced theirs last week.
"This experience has been hell for me personally," a server at the Garden's Legends restaurant told The Boston Herald. "My biggest fear is always being homeless again."
Last Thursday, the NHL suspended its season until further notice amid the coronavirus pandemic. The league's decision came one day after the NBA halted its season and the majority of sports leagues around the globe have followed suit.
Delaware North, a hospitality and food service company, owns TD Garden. When contacted by the Herald last week about a potential plan to aid workers, the company released a statement saying it was "actively exploring support options" and would announce more information later.
Neither Delaware North nor the Bruins responded to the Herald's requests for comment on Wednesday.
The Celtics, who play at the Garden, will pay their team-employed game-day staff, but Garden employees hired by Delaware North, such as ushers and concession workers, are not included in that plan.
A GoFundMe account was created five days ago to raise money for TD Garden employees with a goal of $250,000. As of Thursday afternoon, the campaign had raised $34,687, and Celtics and Bruins players like Enes Kanter and Brad Marchand have donated to the account.
Despite the campaign's attempt to help Garden employees, many of them remain worried about the long-term economic effects of the sports shutdown.
"I now spend my days panicking about how to pay my bills going forward," the Legends server said.