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Oakland A’s Coliseum concession workers say they’re blindsided; will not receive severance pay, health insurance after the last match

Oakland A’s Coliseum concession workers say they’re blindsided; will not receive severance pay, health insurance after the last match

Vaseline 1 week ago

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) — For Kenyetta Gentry, the Oakland A’s are part of her family’s DNA.

“My grandfather was security here in the 1980s, I know. If not, then longer. And my aunt, Aunt Pat, worked security here too,” Gentry said.

A tradition in which Gentry has participated.

For the past 24 years, she has worked for Aramark, the company that runs the stores and concession stands at the Coliseum for home games.

After all these years of service, Gentry says she was shocked to find out Monday that Aramark will not be offering their employees severance after the A’s final game on Thursday.

RELATED: Oakland Coliseum concession workers face uncertain future ahead of A’s final game

Additionally, Gentry says she and her colleagues will also lose their health insurance.

‘I’m very angry, even more angry, that they didn’t want to give us anything. Especially because we have worked here for so long. Sweat, you know, tears,” Gentry said.

On Wednesday afternoon, Gentry and some of her colleagues held a news conference with their union outside the Coliseum gates.

They say Aramark led them for months to believe that they would eventually be offered some form of severance package.

Now many of these workers aren’t sure what to do next.

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Robert Preston has worked here for almost forty years and relies on the health insurance he got with his job to pay for some of his expensive medications.

“I’m old enough for Medicare, but Medicare doesn’t cover all medications. You know, I have diabetes, high blood pressure and I’m on oxygen,” Preston said.

We’ve reached out to Aramark for comment.

They sent us a statement that read in part:

“We are negotiating in good faith with the union about the consequences of the A’s departure and are prepared to offer those involved available positions in other parts of our organization.”

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Little comfort for many of these workers, who worry there is no guarantee this will happen.

Despite the difficulty these employees say they are facing, they tell ABC7 News one thing: they will miss the fans.

And to all those people, Gentry has only one thing to say.

“The smiles on your faces – we grew up as a family. And I thank you for thanking us for our service, for doing a great job,” Gentry said.

The workers’ union says they have asked the A’s to assist them in their negotiations with Aramark, but these requests have been unsuccessful.

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