US stadium and hotel workers threaten strikes ‘to make things fair’ during World Cup | World Cup 2026

As the world’s largest single sports tournament prepares to begin June 11, accommodation and food service workers in several U.S. cities hosting World Cup matches are warning of impending labor disputes and possible strikes.

A temporary situation occurred among cashiers, dishwashers, cooks, bartenders, concession workers and caterers at the SoFi stadium in Los Angeles, California. agreement Tuesday afternoon, but the union noted He has a contractual right to quit if federal immigration enforcement determines he poses a threat to worker safety during the World Cup. The USA’s opening game against Paraguay will be played on June 12 at SoFi Stadium.

Nearly 2,000 workers at SoFi Stadium, represented by Unite Here Local 11, had voted 96% in favor of a strike permit before the agreement was reached Tuesday. Workers want a new union contract with wage increases and protections from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“We’re just trying to make things fair,” said Eva Miles, who has worked as a bartender since the SoFi stadium opened in 2021. “Without us, they don’t have a stadium. Are they going to cook? Are they going to pour those drinks? Are they going to serve these people?”

Miles said he and his co-workers couldn’t afford to live near the stadium on their current salaries. He commutes two hours to work each day and said some of his co-workers have even longer commutes.

“Let’s see them get by on our wages, let’s see them start a family,” Miles added. Workers press for wages over $30 per hour. “I’ve been there since the beginning. I love meeting new people. I want my guests to be happy, I want them to enjoy it and have a great experience. I know they spend a lot of money and I know they spend a lot of money on this Fifa World Cup, so I don’t understand why we can’t get what we want and everyone is happy.”

The ACLU of Southern California and LAANE unions also filed a formal complaint with the California privacy protection agency and the California justice department over Fifa’s accreditation policy requiring employees to disclose immigration information to work at this summer’s World Cup.

Enrique Fernández, Unite Here’s vice president of immigration, civil rights and diversity, said many of the union’s members are immigrants who will work in accommodation venues in World Cup host cities.

The members of the union include immigrants from nearly 200 countries; union marks Its founding dates back to the Bread and Roses strike of textile workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts, in 1912. organized By the union’s immigrant founders.

“They experience the effects of anti-immigrant policy and rhetoric every day, and they do not need the added stress of tracking ICE agents into their workplaces,” Fernández said.

SoFi Stadium contacted Legends Global, the franchisee that employs the workers, who declined to comment.

“Legends Global has had a strong relationship with Unite Here Local 11 for over a decade and is committed to reaching a fair agreement through good faith negotiations,” a spokesperson said in an email. “We look forward to providing fans with an exceptional hospitality experience at FIFA World Cup matches at Los Angeles Stadium (SoFi Stadium).”

In Seattle, hotel workers represented by Unite Here Local 8 at the Embassy Suites Hilton near Lumen Field; six World Cup matches will be organized, 94% voted We support granting permission to strike. About 100 workers at the hotel are fighting for pay raises, year-round health insurance coverage, ICE protections and improved staffing.

“We need the wages to improve,” said Hayden Eyerly, a front desk employee at the Embassy Suites Hilton. He noted that the hotel only offered raises of around $0.80 per year for the duration of the contract. “No one here thinks this is reasonable because of the rising cost of everything, especially gas prices.”

He said some employees in the unit regularly lose health insurance outside the tourist season due to loss of working hours, and argued that staffing levels at the hotel have not reached pre-pandemic levels.

Eyerly noted that many of his co-workers were immigrants and were advised by immigration attorneys to avoid speaking to the media out of concern for retaliation for their immigration status.

“Everyone is very tired. Every department is working on a core team,” Eyerly added. “We’re trying to make real changes in our lives, a real positive impact. We all deserve to work a job, we all deserve to have the energy to come home and be with our families.”

A Hilton spokeswoman said the hotel has contingency plans in place should a strike occur.

“We are committed to negotiating in good faith to reach a fair and reasonable agreement that will benefit both our valued Team Members and our hotel,” they said in an email.

Workers in Philadelphia six hotels were represented Unite Here Local 274 threatens possible strike during operation World Cup matches in town because union contracts expired without another agreement being made. The hotels set a strike deadline of June 12 if new agreements were not reached by then.

Maciah Magloughlin, a presenter at the Wyndham Philadelphia Historic District, said workers are pushing for significant wage increases, a 15-room workload limit for domestic workers, protection from ICE for immigrant workers and more affordable health insurance for their dependents.

“Hotels have the money to give us what we deserve,” Magloughlin said. Economic impact of $770 million is expected World Cup for the Philadelphia area. “What we’re fighting for is that the people who have this industry on their backs also get a piece of it, because people are struggling to send their kids to school, to get time off, or to buy food, and that’s just not fair, especially with such a big summer coming up.”

Wyndham Philadelphia Historic District said in a statement about the threat of a strike while negotiations for a new union contract continue: “We respect our team members’ rights to engage in legally protected activities and look forward to reaching a fair agreement. While discussions continue, we are committed to ensuring our guests enjoy their stay.”

FIFA declined to comment, stating that the contract dispute at SoFi Stadium did not involve Fifa. He did not comment on other threats of labor action or ICE accreditation policy.