TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers say their offices will be closed next week and that team employees could face additional unpaid furloughs if the NFL labor stoppage extends into the fall and winter.
The Bucs announced the move in a brief statement posted Thursday on the club’s web site, noting that employees will be fully reimbursed for lost wages for Memorial Day week if the labor dispute between owners and players is “resolved without the loss of any regular-season games.”
Team spokesman Jonathan Grella says the Bucs remain hopeful the upcoming season will be played without interruption and that the plan to give employees time off without pay saves jobs and doesn’t ask them to “work for less or no pay.”
Additional office closings could be implemented if the owners-imposed lockout continues to Labor Day and beyond.
