SoFi Stadium workers authorize strike before World Cup opener in Los Angeles

Roughly 2,000 SoFi Stadium workers voted to authorize a strike just days before Los Angeles is set to stage the first men’s World Cup match on U.S. soil in 32 years, raising the prospect that the city’s biggest global sporting showcase could open under a line of pickets instead of a celebration.

The workers are cooks, dishwashers, concession workers, bartenders and servers represented by UNITE HERE Local 11. The union says they have worked without a contract for a year while talks with Legends Global, the stadium’s food-service operator, have stalled. Their demands center on higher pay, protection against subcontracting and safeguards against job losses tied to automation.

The timing gives the union unusual leverage. If a strike is approved during the two-day vote, Kurt Petersen said the June 12 World Cup opener between the United States and Paraguay, expected to draw about 70,000 fans, could be met by hundreds of picketing workers. That would put immediate pressure on stadium operations, food service and fan flow at a venue that Los Angeles officials want to present as a polished stage for the tournament.

The dispute has also been pulled into a broader political fight over immigration enforcement and security. UNITE HERE Local 11 has pressed FIFA and venue owners to keep ICE out of World Cup operations, arguing that workers and fans should not face immigration enforcement at a tournament built on an international audience. ABC7 reported in May that officials clarified ICE is not part of the security plan at SoFi Stadium, while NBC News reported that the Department of Homeland Security had offered personnel to support perimeter security, though it remained unclear whether any agency would accept.

SoFi Stadium is scheduled to host eight World Cup matches, including one quarterfinal, and officials have said the venue will be renamed Los Angeles Stadium for the tournament. That makes the labor fight more than a contract dispute. It is a test of whether the city can deliver the smooth, globally televised event it has promised while the workers who serve the crowds use the tournament deadline to press for better pay and job protection.