INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Just days before World Cup 2026 opens in Los Angeles, Unite Here Local 11 announced Tuesday that it has reached a tentative agreement with SoFi Stadium management, staving off a potential strike by members of the union representing approximately 2,000 food and beverage employees.

Days prior, the workers voted 96 percent in favor of authorizing a strike, threatening the possibility of a walkout during one of the world's most prominent sporting events. Workers demanded wage increases, restrictions on the use of AI. and the right to strike Union representatives said they also refused to submit to FIFA member's private information such as Social Security numbers, home addresses and nationalities. 

These concerns and requests were met by Legends Global, the SoFi Stadium's food service provider, including the largest stadium worker wage increase at an NFL venue in history, union officials said.

Cooks will be eligible for a minimum of $40 an hour in the next two years. The negotiated contract will last through April 2028, ahead of the 2028 Olympics, which will also be hosted at SoFi Stadium. 

Workers celebrated during the press conference at SoFi Stadium when the news of the agreement was announced. The contract is set to be ratified on June 10. 

“Overall, they came back and worked everything out with us, and we got what we wanted," said Eva Miles, a premium bartender who works at the stadium. "It was great.”

SoFi Stadium will play host to eight World Cup games, including the opening match for the U.S. Men's National Team, which will face Paraguay on Friday at 9 p.m.

Victor Narro, a Project Director for the UCLA Labor Center and Professor for UCLA Labor Studies and UCLA Law, expressed the importance of workers receiving wages that keep up with the cost of living.

“There are major events always happening in Los Angeles, especially at SoFi Stadium, bringing a lot of revenues. So some of that needs to somehow go back into the hands of the workers, and that's what this union tries to do in many ways,” Narro said. “FIFA is a mega event. It's going to get international and national attention, so it's a good opportunity also to bring this crisis out in the open.

"Many workers in Los Angeles, especially in the tourism industry, work hard every day; they contribute so much to the economy, especially the tourism industry, and yet they struggle.”

Narro shared with a reporter that other large-scale sporting events are coming to Los Angeles and that the tentative agreement is proof that workers sticking together is beneficial.

“Events like FIFA, and the upcoming Olympics, the Super Bowl, bring so much revenue to LA,” he said. “And what today's victory highlights is, workers need to lift up their voices and fight for access to the profitability that comes to Los Angeles when these big events come into the city.

Unite Here Local 11 co-president Kurt Petersen said that preserving the right to vote was the last issue on the negotiation table.

Employees gained the contractual right to walk off the job at any time if they, as a collective, feel like their safety is being jeopardized by ICE agents during the World Cup match.

Peterson said, "The tragic story of that FIFA accreditation is that that information is gone, and as soon as workers gave it to FIFA, it's not coming back."

“What we did win in this agreement is a prohibition of it ever happening again," Peterson said. "So say the Olympics when they come, and they wanna give a badge to someone, they are prohibited from asking for any immigration-related information or Social Security. That's done. So we have achieved it going forward.”

Unite Here Local 11 officials said that the key improvements that were negotiated are:

• Historic wage increases: The largest increases for stadium workers in history, with significant premiums for World Cup and Super Bowl events.

• Workforce Housing Fund: Legends will make a multimillion dollar contribution to fund and to develop housing for hospitality workers. 

• Landmark Job Protections: A 75 percent reduction in subcontracting over the life of the agreement, enforced by an industry-first penalty mechanism.

• Restrictions on AI and Automation: No new self-checkout, kiosks, or cashier-less technology can be deployed, safeguarding jobs.

• Groundbreaking Privacy Rights: Workers cannot be forced to surrender Social Security numbers, immigration status, or country of origin for accreditation of mega events like the World Cup. FIFA’s accreditation demands are prohibited by the contract.

• Unprecedented Right to Strike: Workers have the contractual right to walk off the job if the Union determines in good faith that federal immigration agency actions threaten worker safety during a World Cup match.

Miles said that the agreement made her feel valued as an employee.  

“It was great to see that the company [Legends Global] worked with us and actually appreciates us. They kept saying that,” she said. 

Ariyana Griffin is a graduate of Morgan State University’s School of Global Journalism and Communication.