Two Labor Disputes Threaten All-Star Game : Culinary Union May Strike; Players, Umpires Asked to Ignore NBC-TV Crews

OAKLAND —  In a vote of confidence for hardball labor negotiating, the Alameda County Central Labor Council agreed Friday to support a strike threat by union workers at the Oakland Coliseum, the site of Tuesday night’s All-Star Game.

The walkout was set for midnight Sunday by Local 28 of the Hotel and Restaurant Workers’ Union, which represents 350 concession-stand employees--the beer vendors, souvenir salesmen and hot dog roasters--who have been working at the Coliseum without a contract for more than eight months. Contract talks are scheduled to resume today.

But that isn’t the only labor dispute threatening the All-Star game.

The National Assn. of Broadcast Employees and Technicians (NABET) has asked members of the players’ and umpires’ unions to ignore television crews from NBC-TV, which is being struck by its technicians.

None of the 53 previous All-Star contests have ever been canceled due to a labor dispute, but a walkout by the culinary workers, with the labor council’s endorsement, could prompt sympathy job actions by other unionized workers--from the security guards and ticket-takers to players and umpires.

Donald Fehr, president of the Major League Players Assn., said by telephone from New York that his group will not decide whether to honor any picket lines until he meets Monday with local labor leaders to discuss the council’s action in support of the culinary strike.

“We are not a part of that group, so that (labor council support) wouldn’t be determinative,” Fehr said. “But it would be indicative of how other labor organizations in Alameda County feel about the situation, and that’s important to us.”

Other area labor unions, including Teamsters Local 78 and Service Employees International Union Local 18, also have said they will consider joining in the job action. The Teamsters represent more than 100 truck drivers, ticket-takers and parking-lot attendants. The service union includes security guards, ushers and groundskeepers.

The culinary union is trying to negotiate health and welfare benefits with the Coliseum’s exclusive concessionaire, Volume Services/Canteen Corp.

A Coliseum spokesman said there are no contingency plans for dealing with a walkout. Volume Services/Canteen Corp. declined to discuss the negotiations.

Even if the culinary workers settle with management, the NABET strike could still disrupt the game, although it is not clear if it could stop it entirely. NABET, which represents 2,800 technicians, editors and writers, went on strike June 29.

Steven Martin, executive secretary of the Alameda County labor council, has said only that Oakland unions “have pledged our support to the NABET strikers in any way we can.”

“We’re hopeful that talks could begin between the union and NBC,” he said after announcing support for the culinary workers. “I would think that Major League Baseball, NBC and Commissioner Peter Ueberroth could work something out to prevent a national embarrassment on Tuesday.”

Labor difficulties are “extremely unfortunate” for Oakland at this point, a city spokesman said, because the crime-battered, deficit-ridden city saw the game as one way to bolster its self-image, attract new businesses--and maybe, just maybe, snag a new National Football League franchise to replace the dearly departed Raiders.

The potential for nationally televised image-boosting was so important that the city--which recently needed a $5-million loan from its port to avoid laying off police officers as well as firefighters--allocated $200,000 to clean up its somewhat grimy streets and arrange a fireworks show.

“We certainly hope the employer and the unions involved can work out their difficulties quickly,” said Craig Kocian, assistant city manager. “We realize the All-Star game has become a focal point for their negotiations, and that is extremely unfortunate, because of the value of the game to the city of Oakland both as an urban-renewal tool and as a source of community pride.”

Kocian said that Oakland Mayor Lionel Wilson was prepared to mediate in the dispute if needed, but had not yet been contacted by either side.

Regardless of developments at the Coliseum, Kocian added, the city plans to proceed with its promotional fireworks celebration on Monday night.