In a press release put out by the Devils today, Josh Harris, founder of HBSE, the Devils’ ownership group, made a statement pertaining to arena and staff worker’s salaries.
He stated that “as part of an effort” to help all employees working for the Devils and Prudential Center, salaried employees were to be asked to take “a temporary 20% pay cut while preserving [their] full benefits.”
They will be keeping their “1500 hourly workers paid throughout the regular season.”
Harris said that “after listening to our staff and players; it’s clear that was the wrong decision. We have reversed it and will be paying these employees their full salaries.”
He apologized “for getting this wrong” after stating that this is an extraordinary time in world history “and ordinary business decisions are not enough to meet the moment.”
The reversal of this decision is good news. It is certainly not the team employee’s fault that this pandemic wiped out the season. Much like the arena employees, the Prudential Center and Devils front office workers are going to be having a rough time of things financially as the pandemic continues. Cutting their salaries only hastens anxiety and stress that they do not need.