After authorizing a strike last week, SoFi Stadium employees reached a tentative agreement with Legends Hospitality for protections against ICE and the largest wage increase for stadium workers ever on Tuesday.
Just days before the FIFA World Cup comes to Los Angeles, approximately 2,000 food and beverage workers overwhelmingly voted last week to strike if they could not reach a deal.
The agreement gives employees the largest wage increase to date, protections against subcontracting and automation, groundbreaking privacy protections and a right to strike if ICE or other federal immigration agency activity threatens worker safety during a World Cup match.
“We are proud to say that workers won every major issue we brought to the table,” a representative for Unite Here Local 11 said in a statement obtained by TheWrap Tuesday. “And even more, we preserved the right to strike over safety: workers have the contractual right to walk off the job if the Union determines in good faith that federal immigration enforcement threatens worker safety during a World Cup match.”
The wage increase reflects a cost-of-living increase, premium pay for World Cup and other mega-events and payment towards a housing fund for hospitality workers.
The new contract also addresses the union’s AI and technology concerns. Negotiators, who met with Legends Hospitality Monday, fought for “strong protections against the erosion of union jobs through unimpeded subcontracting and technology and automation.”
Workers will vote to ratify the new contract Wednesday.
The FIFA World Cup will take place at SoFi Stadium Friday night with the USA v. Paraguay match. The game is one of 104 matches that will take place all across North America from June 11 to June 19.
The World Cup will be broadcast live on Fox and Telemundo. SoFi Stadium will host eight matches throughout the weeks-long tournament.
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