LA stadium workers threaten strike ahead of FIFA World Cup

Published
0

Workers at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles have overwhelmingly voted to authorise a potential strike during the World Cup, just days before football’s global showpiece begins.

The Unite Here Local 11 union, which represents about 2,000 stadium food and beverage workers, is demanding better pay along with assurances that federal immigration agents will not be allowed to enter the venue.

A whopping 96 per cent of voters approved the strike call, meaning they have the green light to walk off the job at any time, with the World Cup due to open on Thursday.

“Contract negotiations with stadium food service operator Legends Global and FIFA have not had significant progress on key economic and workplace safety issues,” the union said in a statement.

New talks are scheduled for Monday, ahead of the first World Cup match on US soil on June 12 at SoFi.

Cooks, dishwashers, bartenders, and others are represented by Unite Here.

SoFi Stadium — the world’s most expensive sports venue, which opened in 2020 at a cost exceeding $5 billion — will host eight World Cup matches.

“If we’re forced to strike, those $100,000 FIFA suites will have nothing but bottled water and Doritos,” said union co-president Kurt Petersen.

The union has demanded that workers be allowed to walk out if Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel come to SoFi during World Cup matches and create “a reasonable fear for their safety.”

ICE has faced sharp criticism from human rights organizations for their sometimes brutal raids in various US cities, including Los Angeles.

Stadium workers have also expressed concerns about being forced to share their personal information with FIFA, football’s world governing body, to get World Cup accreditation — amid fears that data will be shared with ICE.

“The FIFA World Cup will generate enormous profits, but we are still fighting for basic respect and security,” stadium bartender Cesar Zamora said in a statement provided by the union.

“We deserve better, and if that means going on strike, I’m ready. “

Opinion

Editorial

Fixing bond markets
Updated 01 Oct, 2026

Fixing bond markets

Pension funds, insurance companies, mutual funds, retail investors, and eventually, foreign investors must become bigger participants in the market.
Call centre rackets
01 Oct, 2026

Call centre rackets

A NUMBER of recent raids conducted by the authorities in different cities point to the growing threat fraudulent ...
Homeward bound
01 Oct, 2026

Homeward bound

FIVE months after Somali pirates captured an oil tanker carrying a 19-member multinational crew, Somali maritime...
Kashmir unresolved
Updated 30 Sep, 2026

Kashmir unresolved

The just solution lies in India addressing the issue through a trilateral dialogue involving the legitimate representatives of the Kashmiri people and Pakistan.
Water shortage
30 Sep, 2026

Water shortage

THAT the country is entering the Rabi season with an anticipated water shortage of nearly 25pc, the lowest carryover...
Young hearts
30 Sep, 2026

Young hearts

THE observance may have passed, but the message of World Heart Day should not fade with it. The occasion is a useful...