Winnipeg Jets make some concessions amid public pressure.

The Winnipeg Jets made a rather unpopular announcement this week when they initially indicated that they would not be compensating their arena employees for the wages they stand to lose as a result of the coronavirus outbreak and the suspension of the 2019 - 2020 National Hockey League regular season that followed that outbreak.

The Jets were among the few teams in the NHL that made such an announcement with teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings instead leading the way by making it clear that they would not be leaving their employees high and dry. They were not alone in their decision however although by the time of this writing most of the teams who had not yet stepped up to the plate for their employees have reversed course and have made commitments to take care of those employees left out in the cold.

On Sunday the Jets did something similar when chairman of True North Sports, Mark Chipman, made it clear via email that he would be covering his part time and casual employees for their lost wages until the end of March. Although the move is not as comprehensive as the one made by some of the other teams around the league, it will at least give those impacted by this incident a chance to look for a new source of income before having their paychecks cut off for good. 

Of course many have been quick to point out that this should have been their response from the start, and even more are suggesting that the Jets should not get credit for only doing the right thing as a result of the tremendous public pressure they were facing. It seems unlikely given the timing that the Jets did this purely out of the goodness of their hearts, but at least the end result will be good for those who have been impacted by this tragedy.