By Robert Haugh

We took a look at how our Bay Area sports teams were treating their employees. We were especially interested in how they were taking care of game day employees who are mostly part-time. They’re also lower paid than front office employees.

Here’s what we found out and how we graded them.

Oakland A’s

GRADE: A

The team will establish a $1 million employee relief fund to start a safety net for ballpark employees at the Oakland Coliseum.

According to Forbes, the team is worth $1.1 billion. That’s less than the other major teams on the list, except for the Sharks. That’s why they’re the only franchise to get an A.

Golden State Warriors

GRADE: A –

The team announced that Warriors’ owners, players, and coaches will contribute $1 million to a disaster relief fund for employees of the Chase Center.

According to Forbes, the team is worth $4.3 billion.

San Francisco Giants

GRADE: A –

The team will establish a $1 million employee relief fund to start a safety net for ballpark employees Oracle Park.

According to Forbes, the team is worth $3 billion.

San Francisco 49ers

GRADE: C
The 49ers are the wealthiest team in the Bay Area. They announced they would give $500,000 — only half what the A’s, Warriors, and Giants are giving. They also decided to take $49,000 out of those employee funds and give it to Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. One 49ers employee wasn’t happy about that and said others who knew about it were angry. They feel they’re taking money away from employees to “make a political splash,” said one employee.

According to Forbes, the team is worth $3.5 billion, the most in the Bay Area.

San Jose Sharks

GRADE: F

The Sharks are the least wealthy team in the Bay Area but they still make a lot of revenue off hockey games and events at the SAP Center. They manage the facility year round. They get a failing grade for a couple of reasons.

They’re paying game day employees only through the end of last month. But the team won’t say how much they’re paying or if they’ll create a fund to help their employees like other Bay Area teams have.

On March 5, they decided to play a home game despite county health officials warning about large gatherings and COVID-19 dangers. Over 14,500 people attended the Thursday night hockey game. Our county sources say the team’s decision led to an official ban days later and many believe it helped spread the virus in our community.

According to Forbes, the team is worth $540 million.