Majority of Tribe Full-Time Employees Receive Good News
The Cleveland Indians became the first club to commit to paying most of their full-time employees through at least June 30th. Jeff Passan of ESPN first reported the news on Twitter.
Part-time workers and interns with the Indians have been furloughed, with the potential to make the same amount of money or perhaps more through unemployment benefits. Other organizations have considered taking similar measures as they try to figure out financial paths forward.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 24, 2020
Up until this point, twenty-two of the thirty teams in baseball have committed to paying their full-time Baseball Operations employees through May 30th. Cleveland took that a step further with today’s announcement. However, it’s able to happen due in-part to the pay cut that the forty senior leaders in the organization are taking, as Jeff Passan mentioned.
Around baseball, there have been various reports of other teams potentially formulating plans to pay their employees in this fashion. Although, specific details regarding those plans have been officially announced.
Part-Time Employees and Interns Impacted
Furthermore, part-time employees and interns will feel the effects of this plan. According to Passan, those individuals will either be laid off or furloughed. If the Cleveland Indians are able to develop a plan that includes financial flexibility, things could change. Those employees could potentially return in some form or fashion with the team.
Additionally, as Passan notes there are other teams around baseball considering the same options. In this time of uncertainty across the game of baseball, any and all ideas need to be on the table. For proof of that consider what the San Diego Padres did this week itself.
The Padres announced that anyone making $60,000 or more, would receive a pay cut. With that plan, it is a creative option that an MLB team formulated. The same type of thing could happen for any other team besides the Padres or Indians in the coming weeks. With uncertainty regarding when and if the season could start, teams have to have a number of plans established.
Final Thoughts
In the end, the Cleveland Indians made a classy move today. It’s one that demonstrates the organization’s commitment to its employees. Furthermore, it gives those full-time employees some certainty in a very uncertain time period in our country. Right now, any normalcy is better than no normalcy. That’s especially true for those employees that need that money to live an adequate life.
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