STATEMENT

Senator Bobby Joe Champion and Senator Jeff Hayden

Minnesota Senate Building
95 University Ave. W, St. Paul, MN 55155
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: April 19, 2016
Contact: Alyssa Siems Roberson (507) 421-2412
Equity Subcommittee Co-Chairs call on Target Field vendor to keep it local, hire
Minnesota workers instead of bringing in out-of-state workers
St. Paul, Minn. Yesterday news media reported that Target Field concession vendor Delaware
North Sportservice had been busing in 150 workers to work for Twins games from Green Bay,
Milwaukee, and Chicago as well as providing temporary accomodations. Equity Subcommittee
Co-Chairs Sen. Jeff Hayden (DFL-Minneapolis) and Sen. Bobby Joe Champion (DFLMinneapolis) have been working with community organizers and leaders to address this new
revelation and have released statements calling for this practice to end.
Deputy Majority Leader and Equity Subcommittee Co-Chair Sen. Jeff Hayden:
When a publicly subsidized stadium and large employer is sitting in the backyard of one of
the most economically depressed parts of the state and at the main intersection of our transitways, it is hard to understand why workers would be in short demand. At a time where Black
unemployment in Minnesota is at 13.6%, Target Field managed to add insult to injury by
busing in out-of-state workers from Illinois and Wisconsin to fill jobs that could be filled by
local and ready workers from North and surrounding neighborhoods. I call on Delaware
North Sportservice and Target Field to resolve this injustice by improving community
outreach, working with community advocates, and hiring local workers, Hayden said.
Equity Subcommittee Co-Chair Sen. Bobby Joe Champion:
To be frank, Delaware Norths strategy to fill these empty positions is ridiculous. With the
costs of busing in workers from out of state and housing them in hotels, its clear the company
has the money to pay Minnesotans a living wage to provide for their families. Why not make
the job more attractive to the public, who has subsidized the very stadium in need of

employees? Furthermore, what kind of outreach was carried out by the staffing agency hired
by Delaware North? When you have disproportionate unemployment numbers in a stadiums
own backyard, how are these jobs left unfilled? When a supply of people wanting to work
clearly exceeds demand of positions of employment, something doesnt add up. If I could find
100 people in my district willing to work for a living wage, why cant Delaware North?
Champion asked.
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