Roughly 2,000 unionized hospitality workers at SoFi Stadium will wrap up a strike-authorization vote Friday night, setting the stage for a possible work stoppage as the venue prepares to serve as a key location in the World Cup soccer tournament.
Cooks, dishwashers, concession workers, bartenders and servers represented by Unite Here Local 11 began casting ballots Thursday, with the voting expected to end at 6 p.m. Friday. If the workers vote in favor, the union would be free to call for a work stoppage as early as next week, just as the World Cup competition begins.
Union officials said contract talks with Legends Global, which operates food services at the stadium, "have stalled with no significant progress on key economic and security issues."
The union is calling for wage increases and protections against automation that could replace workers. They are also demanding security assurances, including a prohibition of and involvement of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in World Cup security plans.
Union officials said they are concerned that FIFA — soccer's governing body — could turn over workers' personal information to ICE. Since FIFA will control stadiums hosting World Cup games, stadium workers must be accredited in a process that involves them submitting information including Social Security numbers and fingerprints.
The union, in conjunction with the ACLU of Southern California, has filed a complaint with the state calling on Attorney General Rob Bonta to investigate the accreditation process.
"We have been very clear, we want ICE OUT of the World Cup and for them to play no role during the games," Yolanda Fierro, a suites runner at Sofi Stadium, said in a statement late last month. "We are seriously concerned that FIFA will hand over our most sensitive personal information and waive our rights under California law, or lose our job working the World Cup. We will not give FIFA the opportunity to share our data with any third party, including ICE and foreign countries' intelligence agencies. We cannot celebrate the World Cup while workers, tourists, immigrant families, and local communities are made to feel unsafe. Los Angeles should be a city of welcome — not fear."
SoFi Stadium is scheduled to host the June 12 World Cup match between the United States and Paraguay.
The results of the strike-authorization vote could be released as early as Friday night. If the members vote in favor, it does not automatically mean a strike will occur. That decision will be left to union leaders, who could call for a walkout at any time.
According to the union, the most recent contract offer from Legends would actually freeze wages for some workers, while providing others with increases of only about 25 cents per hour annually.
Legends Global spokeswoman Stacey Escudero told the Los Angeles Times earlier this week the company "has enjoyed a strong relationship with Unite Here Local 11 for more than a decade and remains committed to reaching a fair agreement through good-faith negotiations. We look forward to delivering an outstanding hospitality experience for fans at the FIFA World Cup matches at SoFi Stadium."
