The labor union representing employees at SoFi Stadium has overwhelmingly voted, with 96% in favor, to authorize a strike as the stadium gears up for its role in the upcoming 2026 World Cup. This potential strike could significantly disrupt operations at a key venue for the major international soccer event.
Unite Here Local 11, which advocates for nearly 2,000 workers including cooks, dishwashers, bartenders, servers, and concession staff at the stadium, conducted the vote over Thursday and Friday to determine their readiness to strike.
The decision to consider a strike follows a deadlock in negotiations with the stadium’s food service provider and FIFA, the international governing body of soccer.
In a statement, the union highlighted that the overwhelming vote to authorize a strike means that these essential workers, from cashiers to food attendants, are prepared to halt work if their demands remain unmet.
Negotiations are set to resume on Monday, with the urgency heightened by the upcoming USA vs. Paraguay match scheduled for June 12th.
Unite Here Local 11 represents a substantial workforce of more than 32,000 hospitality employees across Southern California.
“Union members point to the enormous revenues SoFi Stadium, including individual suite packages for more than $100,000, will generate during the World Cup and demand that the frontline workers providing this hospitality service deserve a fair share,” Unite Here said in a statement to ABC 7.
Key Union Demands:
ICE Safety Protocols: The right for employees to halt work and exit the venue if federal immigration enforcement activity creates a reasonable safety concern.
Living Wage Standards: Pay structures adjusted for the Los Angeles cost of living, featuring premium rates for mega-events like the World Cup, alongside employer contributions to a dedicated hospitality worker housing fund.
Automation & Outsourcing Limits: Robust safeguards against job erosion caused by subcontracting, AI, and workplace automation.
The union’s members say they’re intimidated that immigration officials could snap them up based on how they “look.”
“It’s kind of scary when you feel that you’re in a bubble and you’re trying to walk to work, and not knowing if somebody is going to snatch and grab you and take you into custody because of how you look,” Yolanda Fierro, a suites runner at the stadium, told ABC7. “We just want to get to work, have fun, take care of our clients.”
Legends Global’s latest offer to the union included wage freezes for some suite attendants and bartenders, as well a 25 cent annual hourly wage increase for cooks and dishwashers.
The World Cup is scheduled to start on June 12 to wide fanfare in the United States with the American team facing off against Paraguay. Eight matches will be played at SoFi Stadium before the acclaimed tournament heads elsewhere.
Federal immigration authorities say ICE and HSI agents will be deployed “every day” during the 2026 FIFA World Cup to combat crimes tied to the massive international event, including counterfeit tickets, drug smuggling and human trafficking. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the focus would be on targeting “the worst of the worst,” not mass arrests.
