Oakland Coliseum and Arena operator to lay off all 1,605 workers as the complex is sold
The new owners say they'll rehire union staff, but workers must reapply and nothing is in writing yet.
Legends Global, the company that has run the Oakland Coliseum and Oakland Arena since 2012, will lay off its entire staff at the two venues, 1,605 workers, on Dec. 31, according to a notice filed with the state and reported by KQED and KTVU. The cuts come as Oakland and Alameda County sell the 112-acre complex.
Who is losing their jobs
KTVU listed the jobs named in the notice: 981 stagehands, 209 guest services workers, 149 food, beverage and hospitality workers, 117 security guards, 67 janitors, 45 administrative staff and 18 stationary engineers and wardrobe dressers. Those categories add up to 1,586, a little short of the 1,605 total. KTVU described the filing as the "legally mandated 60-day WARN notice." Legends' contract at the complex ends Dec. 31.
Who is buying
The Oakland Acquisition Company, an affiliate of the African American Sports and Entertainment Group (AASEG), is buying the complex and has a deal to sell the arena plot to Oak View Group for $100 million, KQED reported. The sale is slated to close no later than January 2027, though KQED said it is unclear whether that date will hold.
Will workers get their jobs back?
Ray Bobbitt, a spokesperson for Oakland Acquisition Co., told the San Francisco Chronicle that Oak View Group plans to rehire all unionized employees Legends lays off, KTVU reported. They will have to reapply. Neither report said what happens to non-union workers, and AASEG and Oak View Group did not respond to KQED's requests for comment.
The unions want more than a promise. UNITE HERE Local 2, which represents about 360 food and beverage concession workers at the complex, is negotiating with Oak View and the Oakland Acquisition Company. "Oakland law requires that workers keep their jobs and seniority even when ownership changes," said Yulisa Elenes, the union's vice president for the East Bay. "We are negotiating to make sure workers can keep their union, their wages, and their benefits too."
Harry Konstantopoulos, business agent for IATSE Local 107, told KQED the union has received assurances from Bobbitt that union labor will stay on, but nothing in writing. "He has basically promised us — given his word — that he is going to maintain good jobs and union jobs," he said. Theatrical Wardrobe Union Local 784, Teamsters Local 853, SEIU 1877 and IUOE Stationary Engineers Local 39 also have members affected.
What workers can do now
If you work at the Coliseum or Arena, ask for any rehiring promise in writing, and keep copies of your pay stubs and the layoff notice. If you're handed a severance agreement, read it before you sign: severance.law's guide to severance agreement red flags and its advice on how much severance to ask for are good places to start, and our checklist for your first week after a layoff covers unemployment, COBRA and WARN notices.
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