Sawt Falasteen - LA stadium workers threaten strike ahead of World Cup

The Unite Here Local 11 union, which represents about 2,000 stadium food and beverage workers, is demanding better pay along with assurances that federal immigration agents will not be allowed to enter the venue.

A whopping 96 percent of voters approved the strike call, meaning they have the green light to walk off the job at any time, with the World Cup due to open on Thursday.

"Contract negotiations with stadium food service operator Legends Global and FIFA have not had significant progress on key economic and workplace safety issues," the union said in a statement.

New talks are scheduled for Monday, ahead of the first World Cup match on US soil on June 12 at SoFi.

Cooks, dishwashers, bartenders, and others are represented by Unite Here.

SoFi Stadium -- the world's most expensive sports venue, which opened in 2020 at a cost exceeding $5 billion -- will host eight World Cup matches.

"If we're forced to strike, those $100,000 FIFA suites will have nothing but bottled water and Doritos," said union co-president Kurt Petersen.

The union has demanded that workers be allowed to walk out if Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel come to SoFi during World Cup matches and create "a reasonable fear for their safety."

ICE has faced sharp criticism from human rights organizations for their sometimes brutal raids in various US cities, including Los Angeles.

Stadium workers have also expressed concerns about being forced to share their personal information with FIFA, football's world governing body, to get World Cup accreditation -- amid fears that data will be shared with ICE.

"The FIFA World Cup will generate enormous profits, but we are still fighting for basic respect and security," stadium bartender Cesar Zamora said in a statement provided by the union.

"We deserve better, and if that means going on strike, I'm ready."

O.Salim--SF-PST