Kenyetta Gentry has been selling hot dogs at the Oakland Coliseum for 24 years, but on the eve of the A’s departure, she stands to lose a lot more than her home team.
After the A’s final game in Oakland on Thursday, 400 concession workers, bartenders, and suite staff will lose their jobs and health insurance, with no severance pay, despite weeks of negotiations between their union and food-services giant Aramark.
“This job gave me my first apartment when I was 19,” said Gentry, 44. “What are we gonna do after this? We don’t know.”
The A’s looming departure for Las Vegas has prompted vociferous criticism, with Oakland sports anchor Larry Beil deriding the team’s billionaire owner live on the air this week.
Stadium workers are also upset with the team.
Robert Preston, who has sold hot dogs for 39 years, said he believes the A’s never seriously considered staying in Oakland, even throughout months of discussions with the city about building a new stadium at Howard Terminal. The plan fell apart in January 2023 after the city’s request for a $182 million federal grant was rejected.
“The A’s disappointed us,” Preston said. “They had no intention of staying. It was all a joke.”
Gentry, who has a heart condition, said she doesn’t know how she’ll afford her medication in the period before the 2025 baseball season, when she’ll start a concessions job at Oracle Park. Without health insurance, the cost of the medication will jump from a $5 co-pay every two months to $200, she said.
“I been here working hard for you guys, and the only thing you can tell us we’re getting nothing at all,” Gentry said. “It’s like they just spit in my face.”
Preston, who is 72, said he has no job prospects.
“For most of the workers, it’s up in the air,” he said. “They might be one step from being homeless.”
DeLinda Horton, 72, said longtime workers have created strong bonds with A’s fans. She’s been invited to birthday parties and weddings and even knows some regulars’ orders.
“I’m really gonna miss the fans,” Horton said. “We’ve become family.”
Unite Here Local 2 vice president Yulisa Elenes said the union began negotiating with Aramark on Sept. 10 to sort out the impact of the A’s departure on workers. The union was unsuccessful in its attempts to get Aramark to pay severance and cover health insurance during the 2025 baseball season. Aramark has agreed not to challenge workers’ unemployment insurance claims.
“To have Aramark not do right by the workers is a disappointment,” Elenes told The Standard by phone Tuesday. “They’re being left high and dry.”
In an emailed statement, spokesperson Debbie Albert said Aramark was bargaining in good faith with the union and planned to help those losing their jobs find employment “in other areas of our organization.”
“We understand that this is a difficult transition period,” Albert said.
Nearly three-quarters of the 400 stadium workers Local 2 represents are at concession stands, Elenes said. Half have been working at the Coliseum for more than 20 years, and “a lot” are seniors, she added, noting that those on Medicare need employers to pay for eye exams and dental care that the insurance doesn’t cover.
The A’s said in an emailed statement that they have created a $1 million Oakland Coliseum Vendor Assistance Fund to support stadium workers affected by the team’s move. Workers can apply online to receive a grant from the assistance program, according to the team.
“This assistance fund reflects our commitment to providing meaningful support during this transition,” the organization said. “We want to thank the dedicated individuals who have been vital to our game-day operations and experience at the Oakland Coliseum.”
But even as the A’s are set to leave Oakland, some workers hope to stick it out and keep their jobs as the team temporarily moves to Sacramento.
Horton, who has sold concessions at the Coliseum for 27 years, commutes from Sacramento to work at the Coliseum part time and is considering applying for a concession job with the team when it moves.
“I could probably follow the A’s if I wanted to,” Horton said. “I’m gonna try. I haven’t decided yet.”