Today, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan has reported that the NHL is going to temporarily cut the pay of league office employees. The NHL has three offices in New York, Toronto and Montreal. It’s not clear if this move applies to employees in all three locations and both countries.
The league confirmed that salaries will be reduced across the board starting April 1.
This is a breaking story, and no other details are available yet.
Meanwhile, the New Jersey Devils parent organization has instituted pay cuts and four-day workweeks for staff.
The pay cuts will begin as soon as next month and will affect full-time employees who make $50,000 or more and will go as high as 20% for those making $70,000 or more, sources told ESPN. The teams are expected to ask contracted front-office employees to take similar cuts, sources said.
UPDATE (The 76ers and the Devils are owned by the same company):
76ers ownership is planning to change course, pulling back on salary reductions for staff, league source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 24, 2020
Devils say whoops:
A statement from Josh Harris, Managing Partner of HBSE: https://t.co/mvmg1kuzPW
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) March 24, 2020
As well today, the Montreal Canadiens issued a statement on their decision to temporarily layoff workers.
As a result of the Coronavirus pandemic that has forced the pausing of the NHL and AHL seasons, in addition to the postponements of all shows, Groupe CH has made the decision to proceed with a temporary reduction in personnel, which will impact 60% of the organization’s employees. This workforce reduction will take effect on March 30. This decision was necessary given the significant impact the pandemic has had on the sports and entertainment industries.
In an effort to reduce the impact of this decision on the employees, Groupe CH has established a six (6) million-dollar assistance fund. This fund will help enhance employment insurance benefits for a period of eight (8) weeks, ensuring that employees will receive 80% of their base salary during this period.
The fund will also be made available to provide loans to employees who find themselves in difficult financial situations as a result of the global pandemic.
In Canada, employees laid off are eligible for EI and other assistance.
Huge jump in EI claims: Ottawa a reçu près de 930 000 demandes d'assurance-emploi la semaine dernière https://t.co/uMckHGyrsV
— Chris Hall (@chrishallcbc) March 23, 2020
MLSE released this statement across their team sites on March 15: