SoFi Stadium workers vote to authorize strike with World Cup days away

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Nearly 2,000 food and beverage workers at SoFi Stadium voted overwhelmingly Friday to authorize a strike just a week before the venue will stage the first World Cup game on U.S.soil in more than three decades.Negotiations on a labor contract between Unite Here Local 11, the union representing the cooks, dishwashers, concession workers and bartenders at SoFi and, Legends Global, the stadium’s food-service operator, are expected to continue Monday despite the vote.

But Kurt Petersen, the union’s co-president, said if an agreement isn’t reached workers will walk off the job and the 70,000 fans arriving for the June 12 match between the U.S.and Paraguay will be greeted by hundreds of picketers.

Union members have been working without a contract for a year and Petersen said Unite Here is demanding salary increases, protection against subcontracting and job loss through automation, and are protesting the collection of sensitive private information such as nationality and home addresses that FIFA, organizer of the World Cup, said it needs to accreditate workers.Soccer Protestors marched to local FIFA organizing offices in Los Angeles on Friday calling for ICE to be banned from SoFi Stadium during World Cup games.Workers are also demanding the right to walk off the job if federal immigration enforcement enters the stadium and creates a reasonable fear for their safety.

Ninety-six percent of the vote was in favor of strike authorization.Legends Global, the stadium’s food-service operator, responded to the vote with a statement.“Legends Global has presented progressive wage proposals to Unite Here Local 11 throughout our negotiations and remains confident an agreement is within reach,” it read.“While we expect a contract will be finalized in time, a contingency staffing plan is in place to ensure seamless operations and no disruption to fans.

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