Workers at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, are voting on whether to authorize a strike just one week before the 2026 World Cup soccer matches are scheduled to begin in the Los Angeles area. The strike authorization vote by Unite Here Local 11 comes as negotiations with stadium operator Legends Global have stalled.
Workers demand a fair share of mega-event profits
Employees argue they deserve a greater portion of the revenue generated by a packed schedule of upcoming major events, including the World Cup, the Super Bowl, and the Olympics. Yolanda Fierro, a suite runner and union member who voted to authorize the strike, told the Guardian: "We know they're going to make a lot of money during these events. So what we want is a thank-you – gratitude from the company, giving us a good, equitable contract for increasing our wages, so we can survive out here in California because it's very expensive here in this state."
The results of the strike authorization vote are expected to be announced later on Friday.
World Cup matches at SoFi Stadium
SoFi Stadium, which normally serves as the home of Los Angeles's two NFL teams, will host eight matches during the 2026 World Cup, starting with the United States versus Paraguay on 12 June. Due to FIFA's strict branding rules, the venue has been temporarily renamed "Los Angeles Stadium" for the duration of the tournament.
Legends Global, the subcontractor responsible for food and beverage services at the venue, did not respond to a request for comment.
Safety and data privacy concerns
Workers are also demanding stronger safety guarantees. Unite Here Local 11 has called on FIFA to refuse entry to ICE officers at the stadium during the World Cup. Fierro explained that the demand aims to protect foreign-born union members and spectators: "They pay their taxes – they just want to be treated fairly and respectfully. We also do not want our guests from around the world to feel in fear of coming to our stadium and feel like ICE is going to take them because they're not from our country."
Last month, the union, along with the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, asked California Attorney General Rob Bonta to investigate FIFA's data-collection practices. They allege that FIFA is collecting workers' sensitive personal information, requiring them to waive their California data-protection rights, and then sharing that data with the Department of Homeland Security. A letter from the groups states: "These workers are being put in an impossible bind, where they are being forced to choose between their livelihoods and handing over their most personal sensitive information. Workers in California should not be forced to make this choice."
FIFA's media department sent an auto-reply email to a Guardian request for comment, indicating that the organization would respond within 14 days.
Context of ICE raids in Los Angeles
ICE raids gained notoriety nationwide during the Trump administration, which conducted extensive operations in blue cities to challenge "sanctuary" policies designed to protect undocumented workers from indiscriminate immigration arrests. Some of the most intense conflicts between ICE and protesters occurred in Los Angeles, where officers routinely raided worksites such as car washes and partially blinded at least two protesters with "less-lethal" munitions. These blindings and other confrontations took place during crowd-control operations that ICE historically had not been involved in.
