Around 2,000 workers at the So-Fi stadium overwhelmingly ratified a contract agreement, ahead of the World Cup. The agreement between Unite Here Local 11 and stadium food service operator Legends Global was announced Tuesday, less than a week after union members voted 96% to authorize a strike amid stalled negotiations.
Union officials said workers on Wednesday ratified the agreement, with 99% voting in favor.
“This contract proves what workers can accomplish when we stand together,” Susana Lahargue, a stand lead at SoFi Stadium, said in a statement released by the union. “We fought for fair wages, stronger job protections, and the right to protect ourselves and our families. As the world comes to Los Angeles for the World Cup, we are proud to welcome fans knowing that workers have secured a contract that respects our work and our dignity.”
The contract includes provisions like 30% increases in automatic gratuities for bartenders and servers, premium pay for “Mega Events,” raises of $9 per hour for non-tipped workers, salaries of $40 an hour for concession stand workers, and privacy protections aimed at protecting workers’ personal information.
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The deal also maintains the right for workers to strike if they believe federal immigration enforcement activity near the stadium threatens their safety.
Kurt Petersen, co- president of United Here Local 11, called this a “historic victory.”
“While the powerful capitulated, these workers stood their ground. The dishwashers, cooks, bartenders and servers stared down FIFA and ICE, refused to trade their dignity for a paycheck, and won one of the strongest stadium contracts in the country. They are the heroes of the World Cup,” Petersen said.
Officials with Legends released a statement previously saying, “We are pleased to have reached an agreement with Unite Here Local 11 and look forward to delivering an outstanding hospitality experience for fans at the FIFA World Cup matches.”
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The union had raised concerns about FIFA’s accreditation process for World Cup workers. Union officials said the workers were worried about having to submit personal information including Social Security numbers and fingerprints, as the information might be shared with other agencies, such as U.S. Customs and Border Enforcement.
The union–which represents cooks, dishwashers, concession workers, bartenders and servers employed at SoFi Stadium – along with the ACLU of Southern California, previously filed a complaint urging California Attorney General Rob Bonta to investigate FIFA’s accreditation process, arguing that worker privacy rights could be jeopardized by the collection and sharing of personal information.
The issue of immigration enforcement during the world cup has been a cause of much discussion and political controversy. New York mayor Zohran Mamdani recently argued that heightened immigration enforcement could create fear among immigrant communities at a time when the region is preparing to welcome thousands of international visitors for the FIFA World Cup.