How some Charli XCX fans prepared for her Philly concert, and more from day three of the Aramark stadium worker strike

On the third day of a concession worker strike at the South Philadelphia stadium complex, Aramark prepared to staff both a Phillies game at Citizens Bank Park and a pop concert at the Wells Fargo Center.

The striking workers’ union, Unite Here Local 274, continued its call on event attendees to boycott food and drink vendors at both the baseball game and the Charli XCX concert. And some fans have joined the effort to spread awareness.

Aramark had corporate employees on site Monday and Tuesday, available to work concessions, company spokesperson Chris Collom said Wednesday, but he said they weren’t needed because many union workers continued showing up to work despite the strike.

“We want to thank the more than 800 dedicated Aramark union employees who crossed the picket line at all three facilities to work their regular shifts last night, Sept. 24, and the more than 640 that chose to work on Sept. 23,” Collom said. “Our ability to serve fans was not impacted by the strike nor by the union’s boycott campaign at any of the facilities either night.”

Unite Here represents some 1,500 Aramark employees who work at the Wells Fargo Center, Citizens Bank Park, and Lincoln Financial Field. Union spokesperson Rocco Mahoney shared a statement from the union which said “the majority” have complied with the work stoppage.

“With wages what they are at the stadiums, many of us live paycheck to paycheck so going on strike is not a decision we take lightly,” the statement reads. “We knew when we voted to strike that some percentage of workers would not honor the strike.”

Many of the Unite Here members work at more than one stadium, each with its own contract conditions. The union is trying to negotiate for one standard for wages and benefits across all three.

The union has said that it is negotiating for “family-sustaining wage increases,” as well as better health-care coverage. Less than 100 of the workers have year-round health-care coverage, according to Unite Here.

Aramark, which is headquartered in Philadelphia, sent an email to its corporate employees earlier this week, seeking volunteers to work shifts at Citizens Bank Park and the Wells Fargo Center amid the strike.

The subject line of the email, a copy of which was obtained by The Inquirer, read “All Hands on Deck: Sign Up for a Shift at CBP or Wells Fargo.”

According to Aramark, the company’s contingency plan will ensure that stadiums continue to operate as usual.

“Aramark remains committed to delivering outstanding fan experiences,” said Collom, of Aramark. “Our contingency plans last night, and throughout the strike, ensure that all services for events across the facilities will be open and available to guests as usual.”

The union representing striking workers is encouraging fans not to purchase food or drinks from vendors inside stadiums during the strike, according to posts on X.

On Tuesday afternoon, the union reached out directly to Charli XCX, publicly on X, urging her to support the strike at her Wednesday night concert at the Wells Fargo Center. As of the publication of this article, the artist has not made a public comment about the post.

Maranda Leecan, 27, logged on to Reddit to see recaps of Charli XCX’s Monday night performance at Madison Square Garden in anticipation of the concert she would be attending in Philly later that week. There, she found out that Aramark stadium workers are on strike at South Philly sports stadiums.

Leecan, who has worked in the live music industry, and estimates she has seen Charli XCX perform two dozen times already, said she doesn’t plan on buying any food or drinks at the Wells Fargo Center, and will tailgate instead.

“If these people are working and they aren’t receiving health care, I want to make sure that I’m not playing into that system,” said Leecan on Tuesday.

The concert is scheduled to start at 7 p.m., with doors opening at 6 p.m.

Others expressed support of the strike on a Reddit post about the Wednesday concert, with some comments invoking the name of the Charli XCX album Brat, such as “We’re going extra hard at the pregame on Wednesday because being a scab is not brat,” and “union solidarity is brat!”

Tess, who did not want her last name disclosed because she was not sure if she was allowed to speak to the media in her current job, is coming in from New York City for the concert on Wednesday. She plans on eating dinner with a friend and will try not to purchase drinks or food inside the stadium, but noted it was going to be hard to not have water.

“I think it’s going to be pretty sweaty. It’s called the ‘Sweat’ tour. Like, it’s physical. We’re gonna be jumping around,” said Tess. “If I have to buy water, I probably will, because I don’t want to pass out.”

Cier Marinelli, who works in the pharmaceutical industry, and lives in the Gayborhood, is planning on supporting the strike by having a big lunch and not purchasing food or drinks inside the venue. They plan on bringing some 20 water bottles to the concert on Wednesday for themself, a friend, and to hand out to others.

“If you’re working full time, and you can’t even, you know, take basic care of yourself, I mean, like, what’s even the point?” asked Marinelli.

They hope Charli XCX will comment on the recent strike during the show, they say.

“That would be so brat,” said Marinelli.