Workers at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles have voted to authorize a strike and could walk off the job ahead of this Friday’s first World Cup match in the U.S.
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Los Angeles is slated to host the first World Cup game played in the U.S. at SoFi Stadium later this week. However, workers at the stadium are threatening to strike for better pay. Here’s Libby Rainey with LAist News.
LIBBY RAINEY: Fans who attend the match between Team USA and Paraguay this Friday could show up to a picket line. The workers who serve food and drinks at the stadium that will host eight matches have voted to authorize a strike, and they could walk off the job any time. About 2,000 union workers have been working without a contract since last year. Now they’re pushing their employer for higher wages, especially at events that rake in major profits, and this World Cup has been criticized for its exorbitant ticket prices.
KAY BLAKE: What we’re trying to ensure – that there is no disparity between the profits of the company, as opposed to our labor. We don’t want to be exploited.
RAINEY: That’s Kay Blake (ph), a bartender at SoFi Stadium. She said she and her coworkers want higher pay for big-ticket events. According to her union, Unite Here Local 11, there’s precedent for this. At Dodger Stadium, union concession workers got double pay when they worked last year’s World Series. The union is bargaining with Legends Global, the company that runs concessions at SoFi Stadium. Kurt Petersen, a co-president for Unite Here Local 11, said the company hasn’t moved far enough on pay.
KURT PETERSEN: Gas prices and rent are skyrocketing, and we need a wage that will allow them to live, and the company is falling short of that.
RAINEY: In a statement to NPR, Legends Global said that it is, quote, “committed to reaching a fair agreement through good faith negotiations.” It isn’t clear what plans are in place if workers decide to strike.
Pay isn’t the workers’ only concern. They’re worried about possible immigration enforcement during the World Cup. ICE, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, says it will play a key role in tournament security. Petersen, the union co-president, said workers want the right to walk off the job without reprisal if they feel unsafe because of ICE’s presence.
PETERSEN: We know that ICE will be there, and if they act as they have and continue to do, then our members need to be able to protect themselves.
RAINEY: FIFA says it isn’t involved in the contract dispute at SoFi Stadium. The stadium workers and their employer will return to the bargaining table today.
For NPR News, I’m Libby Rainey in Los Angeles.
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