According to Reuters, the Unite Here Local 11 trade union, representing approximately 2,000 food and beverage workers at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood near Los Angeles, announced the achievement preliminary collective agreement with Legends Hospitality. The agreement was reached just a few days before the start of the FIFA World Cup.
SoFi Stadium – which will be called Los Angeles Stadium for the duration of the tournament – is one of the key venues for the championship and is scheduled to host eight matches.
Wage increases and reduced automation
According to the trade union, the agreement provides significant salary increasesas well as restrictions on subcontracting work to external companies. The agreement also includes provisions regulating the implementation of new automation technologies that could lead to job cuts.
Additionally, employees obtained: privacy protection in connection with accreditation for large sporting events, which is important in the context of increasingly complex control and identification systems.
Historic clause on the right to strike
The most controversial and groundbreaking element of the agreement is the provision which – as Unite Here Local 11 emphasizes – there is no precedent in similar contracts.
Employees gain the right to strike if the union believes in good faith that the actions of federal immigration agencies, such as ICE or Border Patrol, on the premises of the workplace threaten the safety of employees during a World Cup match.
“These workers are heroes. If federal immigration agencies threaten their safety, our members have the right to leave their jobs. It's now in the contract,” said Kurt Petersen, co-chair of Unite Here Local 11, as quoted by Reuters.
Voting and a longer horizon
Workers are scheduled to vote on whether to ratify the agreement on Wednesday. The full content of the agreement is to be revealed after the vote.
If the agreement is adopted, it will remain in force until April 30, 2028. This timing is no coincidence – it coincides with the expiration of more than 100 other collective bargaining agreements in the stadium, hotel and airport sectors in the Los Angeles region, just ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games.
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The World Cup starts without any disruptions
The first match at Inglewood Stadium will take place on Friday – the US national team will face Paraguay. Reaching an agreement significantly reduces the risk of employee protests at a critical time for tournament organizers and local authorities.
For the sports and event industry, it is also a signal that the pressure from trade unions around major international events will increaseand labor and safety issues will become one of the key topics during subsequent global events, writes Reuters.
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