The San Diego Padres told baseball operations employees yesterday that they will be paid through October. Some members of the baseball operations staff who make more money will receive pay cuts. Non-baseball operations employees, which include people in marketing, sales, and other departments on the business side of things, are still only guaranteed salaries through May 15.
The baseball operations employees, which include Padres manager Jayce Tingler, major league coaches, most scouts and members of the front office, are subject to Major League Baseball’s Uniform Employment Contract, which Rob Manfred moved over the weekend to suspend. That move allows teams to furlough workers subject to the UEC if they so choose. This move is the Padres’ response to that. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, there are around 200 baseball operations employees. There are a little more than 200 full and part-time non-baseball operations employees.
The Padres are the first team to make a commitment to any part of their workforce throughout what would have been the entirety of the regular season. Some teams have committed to all employees through the end of May. Others have only made commitments through April. There will, without question, be pressure on other teams to follow the Padres’ lead in this regard.
As for the pay cuts, one report last night said that they will begin for people making $60,000 or higher. Pay cuts will get deeper the higher the salary in question. The pay cuts will be one-time occurrences the team told employees.
