Oakland Coliseum and Arena to Lay Off Entire Staff, More Than 1,600 Workers
The Oakland Coliseum and Oakland Arena will lay off its entire staff — more than 1,600 workers — by the end of the year, according to a notice filed with the state.
Amid transitioning the complex’s ownership, entertainment company and current operator Legends Global said in the notice that the 1,605 layoffs will be effective Dec. 31, when its contract at the complex expires. Stagehands, hospitality, administration, janitorial and other workers are set to be let go.
The layoffs are the latest move in what has been a complicated transition process of the 112-acre complex, from Alameda County and Oakland ownership to the Oak View Group and the Oakland Acquisition Company, an affiliate of the African American Sports and Entertainment Group.
UNITE HERE Local 2’s vice president for the East Bay, Yulisa Elenes, said the union is in negotiations with Oak View Group and the Oakland Acquisition Company to ensure the “smoothest possible” transition for its members. The union represents about 360 employees who work in food and beverage concessions at the Coliseum and Arena.
“Oakland law requires that workers keep their jobs and seniority even when ownership changes,” Elenes said in a statement. “We are negotiating to make sure workers can keep their union, their wages, and their benefits too.”
Harry Konstantopoulos, business agent with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 107, said the union was in similar talks and had received assurances from Oak View and AASEG that they would keep union labor on, but it hasn’t yet seen anything in writing.
Konstantopoulos said the union has received assurance from Ray Bobbitt, AASEG’s managing partner. “He has basically promised us — given his word — that he is going to maintain good jobs and union jobs.”
AASEG and Oak View did not respond to KQED’s requests for comment on their plans following the layoffs.
Konstantopoulos, however, said the process has made him concerned, because of how quickly it’s happening.
“It just seems like this project they’ve been working on for about five years, and then all of a sudden [the layoff notice] just kind of came down pretty quickly,” he said. “Not a lot of time to ask a lot of questions.”
The Theatrical Wardrobe Union Local 784, Teamsters Local 853, SEIU 1877 and IUOE Stationary Engineers Local 39 also have members impacted by the layoffs.
Oakland approved selling its 50% stake in the complex in July for $110 million, with an additional $15 million in closing costs. The agreement gave OAC a 9-acre plot with the Arena and a 103-acre plot with the Coliseum. Oak View and OAC also brokered a deal as part of the plan, giving Oak View the Arena plot for $100 million.
When Oakland approved the sale, the deal was slated to close no later than January 2027 — but whether that date will hold is unclear.