On Wednesday, Delaware North, the large conglomerate that holds the Boston Bruins and TD Garden, announced massive staff cuts and salary reductions as a part of their business stabilization measures to get through the coronavirus crisis. In a statement, Delaware North, which is privately owned and operated by billionaire Jermey Jacobs and his family, announced that 68 full-time salaried associates will be placed on temporary leave starting April 1 and an additional 82 full-time salaried employees will receive an “indefinite salary reduction.”
As the coronavirus pandemic wrecks havoc on the sports world, there have been teams who have stepped up to try to do the right thing by their workers, and teams, like the 76ers and their billionaire owner, who have been shamed into making the right call by public outcry. The Boston Bruins are just the latest example of an organization trying to preserve their profit margin at time when the lively hood of their employees should be a more pressing concern.
According to Forbes, Jermey Jacobs’ net value is $3.3 billion dollars and Bruins fans were quick to express their outrage over the cuts.
As has been noted by many others, the Jacobs family was also among the last to announce any kind of fund to help part-time workers affected by the NHL season stoppage. That fund too leaves much to be desired as it only kicks in if and when the last games of the season are canceled. As of now, the NHL has simply postponed the season which means the part-time workers who keep the Bruins and TD Garden going are out of luck.
Cutting the Bruins and TD Garden workforce so dramatically is a despicable action by the Jacobs family who clearly have the personal wealth required to keep the company going during this difficult time. What’s even more infuriating is that the Delaware North statement goes on to say those not affected by the pay cuts are those with employment contracts, which presumedly means head coaches, assistant coaches and the team GM. The people whose incomes are getting axed right now aren’t the ones making millions, but those who are also probably just getting by.
The global pandemic has turned the world upside down, but this is a clear case of a company, and the Jacobs family, trying to preserve personal wealth at the expense of helping those who had worked so hard for them. It’s not just shameful, it’s amoral.
