SoFi Stadium workers vote to authorize strike as World Cup games near
· Yahoo Sports
A week from the U.S. men's national soccer team's opening World Cup game set to be held at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, unionized stadium workers have voted authorize a strike, according to a news release issued by the union Friday, June 5.
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The union, Unite Here Local 11, represents about 2,000 workers at SoFi Stadium, and the vote was 96% in favor of authorizing a strike, according to the news release.
That means the workers — which include cashiers, dishwashers, cooks, bartenders, concessions workers and food attendants — could walk off the job "at any moment'' if their demands are not met, according to the news release.
“It could get ugly, yes,” Kurt Peterson, co-president of Unite Here Local 11, told the Los Angeles Times.
The vote was held after negotiations stalled between Unite Here Local 11 and Legends Global, the stadium operator.
Negotations are scheduled for Monday, June 8, four days before the U.S. men's soccer team is scheduled to play Paraguay Friday, June 12 at SoFi Stadium. The 70,000-seat stadium is home to the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers.
"Legends Global 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,'' the company said in a statement provided to USA TODAY Sports before the vote. "We look forward to delivering an outstanding hospitality experience for fans at the FIFA World Cup matches at SoFi Stadium."
Key issues dividing the union and stadium operators, according to the Los Angeles Times, include:
- FIFA, the worldwide governing body for soccer and organizer of the World Cup, is demanding Social Security numbers, fingerprints and other potentially sensitive information for background checks. The union objects, saying the information could end up in the possession of the Department of Homeland Security.
- The union says the stadium operators have fallen well short of their demand of a substantial raise to more than $30 an hour.
- The union also wants to keep ICE out of the stadium.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: SoFi Stadium workers authorize strike as World Cup approaches