Inglewood (California), June 10: Southern California stadium workers who threatened to strike for the US men’s football team’s opening World Cup match said Tuesday they expect to stay on the job after reaching a tentative contract deal with higher wages and more labour protections.
The union representing 2,000 bartenders, servers, cooks and dishwashers at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, announced the deal at a news conference and said workers would vote Wednesday on whether to ratify it. It came after workers last week voted to authorise a strike as contract talks had stalled with the stadium’s food service provider, Legends Global.
In a statement, Legends Global said the company was pleased to reach an agreement with workers and looks forward to providing “an outstanding hospitality experience” at the World Cup matches in Inglewood. Eight matches are scheduled for SoFi Stadium, starting with Friday’s match between the US and Paraguay. The stadium, which opened in 2020, seats 70,000 people and is home to the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers.
Workers said they won wage increases and protections from subcontracting. The tentative contract will give stadium cooks among the highest wages for the job in the country, with many earning $40 an hour in about two years, said Kurt Petersen, co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11, which represents the workers. That’s well above California’s minimum wage. (AP)
