SoFi Stadium workers vote to authorize a strike as Los Angeles prepares to host World Cup games

Stadium workers near Los Angeles have voted to authorize a strike as the venue prepares to host the U.S. men’s soccer team’s opening World Cup match. It doesn’t guarantee that the 2,000 bartenders, servers, cooks and dishwashers at So Fi Stadium in Inglewood, California, will walk off the job. But it gives them the option to do so after contract talks have stalled with the stadium’s food service provider. The vote comes days before the stadium near Los Angeles will host the U.S. team’s opening World Cup match against Paraguay. Union member Yolanda Fierro said that unless a deal is reached workers could go on strike for the June 12 match. Fierro said workers are concerned about pay and security on the job amid ramped-up immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump’s administration. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said this week the U.S. Department of Homeland Security told him federal authorities would be at the matches to assist with security but not civil immigration enforcement. “What good is the World Cup for Los Angeles when workers don’t earn enough to pay the rent and must choose between showing up and being kidnapped by ICE?” said Kurt Petersen, co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11. “If we’re forced to strike, those $100,000 FIFA suites will have nothing but bottled water and Doritos.” Legends Global, which handles hospitality at SoFi, said the company has a longstanding relationship with the union and is committed to reaching an agreement through contract negotiations. “We look forward to delivering an outstanding hospitality experience for fans at the FIFA World Cup matches at SoFi Stadium,” the company said in a statement Wednesday. Petersen said contract talks have been moving at a “glacial” pace. He said Legends has agreed to minimal wage increases for cooks and dishwashers and freezes for some suite attendants and bartenders even as the World Cup is expected to reel in ample revenue. The union is also asking Legends for protecti