World Cup Workers Demand Fair Wages and Conditions
As the World Cup countdown ticks toward 11 June, the battle lines in the United States are being drawn far from the pitch.
In three host cities, the workers who will feed, serve and check in fans are threatening to walk away just as the world arrives. Their message is blunt: if the tournament is worth billions, their labor is worth more than the wages and conditions currently on offer.
Tension at SoFi: Strike Threat on the Eve of the Opener
In Los Angeles, the stakes could not be clearer. About 2,000 hospitality workers at SoFi Stadium, represented by Unite Here Local 11, have voted by a thumping 96% margin to authorize a strike as they push for a new union contract that delivers higher pay and protections from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Cashiers, dishwashers, cooks, bartenders, concessions workers, food attendants — the people who actually keep a stadium alive — now hold the power to disrupt the US’s opening match against Paraguay on 12 June. They can walk out at any time.
“We’re just trying to make things fair,” said Eva Miles, a bartender at SoFi since the venue opened in 2021. For her, the World Cup spotlight only sharpens a long‑running grievance. “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 says she cannot afford to live anywhere near the stadium on her current pay. She spends two hours commuting each way. Some colleagues, she adds, travel even longer just to clock in.
“Let’s see them live on our wage, let’s see them raise a family,” she said. Workers are pushing for pay above $30 an hour. “I’ve been there since the beginning. I love meeting new people. I want my guests to be happy, and I want them to enjoy it and have a great experience. I know they spend a lot of money, and I know they’re spending a lot of money on this Fifa World Cup, so I don’t understand why we can’t get what we want and everybody be happy.”
Pay is only part of the fight. Unite Here, joined by the ACLU of Southern California and LAANE, has filed a formal complaint with California’s privacy protection agency and the state department of justice over Fifa’s accreditation rules, which they say force workers to divulge immigration information to work the tournament.
For a union built on immigrant labor, that requirement cuts deep. Enrique Fernández, general vice-president for immigration, civil rights, and diversity at Unite Here, points out that many members are immigrants staffing hotels, stadiums and concessions across host cities. The union’s roots go back to the 1912 Bread and Roses strike in Lawrence, Massachusetts, led by immigrant textile workers — a history that still shapes its identity.
“They experience the effects of anti-immigrant policy and rhetoric every day, and they don’t need the added stress of tracking ICE agents at their workplaces,” Fernández said.
SoFi Stadium itself declined to weigh in, pointing instead to Legends Global, the concessionaire that employs the workers. “Legends Global has enjoyed a strong relationship with Unite Here Local 11 for more than a decade and remains committed to reaching a fair agreement through good faith negotiations,” the company said in an email. “We look forward to delivering an outstanding hospitality experience for fans at the Fifa World Cup matches at Los Angeles Stadium (SoFi Stadium).”
The promise of “outstanding hospitality” now hangs on whether that agreement arrives before the first whistle.
Seattle: Skeleton Crews and Thin Margins
On the other end of the West Coast, the story sounds familiar.
In Seattle, workers at the Embassy Suite Hilton near Lumen Field — where six World Cup matches are scheduled — have also voted to authorize a strike. Unite Here Local 8 says roughly 100 workers backed the move with 94% support as they chase pay increases, year-round health insurance, ICE protections and better staffing.
Front desk employee Hayden Eyerly describes a workforce stretched to its limits and priced out of stability. The hotel, he says, has offered only about $0.80 an hour in annual raises over the life of the contract.
“No one here thinks that is reasonable, because of the rising cost of everything, gas prices in particular,” he said.
The pressure doesn’t ease in the offseason. Some workers lose their health insurance when tourism slows and hours are cut. Eyerly says staffing levels still haven’t recovered to pre-pandemic strength, leaving every department running lean.
“Everyone is very tired. Every department has been working on a skeleton crew,” he said. “We’re trying to make real changes, a real positive impact in our lives. We all deserve to work one job, we all deserve to come home and have the energy to be there for our families.”
Many of his colleagues are immigrants, but Eyerly notes they have been advised by their immigration attorney not to speak publicly, fearing retaliation that could threaten their status.
Hilton, for its part, insists it is ready for any disruption. A spokesperson said the hotel has contingency plans if a strike goes ahead. “We remain committed to negotiating in good faith to reach a fair and reasonable agreement that benefits both our valued Team Members and our hotel,” the company said.
Philadelphia: Hotels on a Deadline
On the East Coast, the clock is ticking just as loudly.
In Philadelphia, workers at six hotels represented by Unite Here Local 274 are threatening to strike during the city’s World Cup fixtures. Their contracts have expired without replacement deals, and a strike deadline has been set for 12 June if no agreement is reached.
At the Wyndham Philadelphia Historic District, server Maciah Magloughlin outlines a platform that mirrors demands in Los Angeles and Seattle: significant wage hikes, a cap of 15 rooms per day for housekeepers, ICE protections for immigrant staff and more affordable health coverage for dependents.
“The hotels have the money to give us what we deserve,” Magloughlin said, pointing to the projected $770m economic impact of the World Cup in the Philadelphia area. For him, that figure is not an abstract number; it’s a measure of what’s at stake for the workers underpinning the boom.
“What we’re fighting for is that the people who hold this industry up on their back also get a piece of that, because people are fighting to send their kids to school or take time off or buy groceries, and that’s not fair, especially when we’ve got such a big summer coming.”
The Wyndham, in a statement, struck a careful tone as negotiations continue. “We respect our team members’ rights to engage in legally protected activities and look forward to reaching a fair contract. While discussions are ongoing, we remain committed to ensuring our guests enjoy their stay.”
A Tournament Built on Unsettled Ground
The World Cup arrives promising spectacle, packed stadiums and record economic windfalls for host cities. Yet in Los Angeles, Seattle and Philadelphia, the people who will pour the drinks, clean the rooms and staff the front desks are using that same moment as leverage.
They are pushing for more than a one‑month bonanza. They want lasting change: wages that keep pace with the cost of living, health insurance that doesn’t vanish when the tourists leave, and protection from immigration enforcement in workplaces that depend heavily on immigrant labor.
The world will be watching the football. In these cities, the first decisive moves may come not from a star forward in the penalty area, but from workers deciding whether to cross a picket line on the morning of a match.
