LOS ANGELES (CNS) – As preparations continue for the 2026 World Cup, a labor dispute was drawing attention Saturday, with SoFi Stadium workers in Inglewood threatening to strike over contract issues and concerns about the potential presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
Unite Here Local 11, representing cooks, servers, and bartenders at the stadium, said those workers do not yet have a labor contract as the World Cup nears.
The union outlined three primary demands to FIFA and stadium owner Kroenke Sports & Entertainment: a public assurance that ICE and Border Patrol will have no role in the tournament, protections for union jobs and working conditions, and support for affordable housing for hospitality workers.
“Our members should not be forced into the middle of heavily armed enforcement operations,” Kurt Petersen, co-president of Local 11, said in a statement. “Our contracts guarantee a safe workplace, and if hotels and stadiums choose to allow ICE onto their properties, our workers have the right to walk out.”
The union pointed to remarks by Acting Department of Homeland Security Director Todd Lyons indicating ICE would have a significant role in the World Cup.
FIFA, stadium owner Kroenke Sports & Entertainment and stadium operator Legends Global did not respond to requests for comment.
Union officials said they have made multiple attempts to meet with FIFA since Los Angeles was selected as a host city but have not received a response.
The city is scheduled to host eight World Cup matches at SoFi Stadium, beginning with a U.S. match against Paraguay on June 12.
The union this week also raised concerns about subcontractors operating at SoFi Stadium and called on FIFA and Kroenke Sports & Entertainment to prohibit the use of artificial intelligence or automation that could displace union jobs, according to The New York Times.
Unite Here Local 11 is also seeking a regional ban on short-term rentals by Airbnb, now a FIFA sponsor, arguing they reduce available housing for local workers in an already tight Los Angeles market.
The union has previously followed through on strike threats, with hotel workers staging more than 175 strikes across Los Angeles, Orange County and Arizona between July 2023 and July 2024 over pay and housing cost concerns.
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