With the MLB All-Star game events set to kick off this Saturday in Los Angeles, Major League Baseball will have to deal with the possibility of concession workers striking during the game. According to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, "99% of the food and beverage workers at Dodger Stadium voted Sunday to authorize a strike, Unite Here spokeswoman Maria Hernandez said in a statement."

The strike could begin “at any time,” according to the statement. The Dodger Stadium All-Star festivities begin Saturday, with the Futures Game, followed by the home run derby on Monday and the All-Star Game on Tuesday.

The Dodger Stadium concession workers are employed by Chicago-based Levy Restaurants, responsible for concession operations at Dodger Stadium. According to the LA Times, Kevin Memolo, the spokesman for Levy Restaurants, did not immediately return a message Monday.

Local UNITE HERE Local 11 co-president Susan Minato said in a statement: "They are the backbone of our tourism and sports industry, yet many struggles to stay housed and to make ends meet. They often live with economic uncertainty because the quality of jobs varies stadium to stadium. No worker should have to continue living like this.”

The Major League Baseball Players’ Association released a statement in support of the concession workers: “The MLBPA stands in solidarity with the Dodger Stadium concessions workers represented by UNITE HERE Local 11. Like thousands of ballpark workers across the country, Local 11’s members are a vital yet under appreciated part of what makes our game great. They deserve to be treated fairly and will continue to have the 1,200 members of the MLBPA behind them.”

Last year, Major League Baseball moved the 2021 All-Star game out of Atlanta in response to a new Georgia law that has civil rights groups concerned about its potential to restrict voting access for people of color.

More to come...