Workers at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles have voted strongly to allow a strike during the World Cup, which starts in just a few days.
The Unite Here Local 11 union, representing around 2,000 food and drink workers at the stadium, is asking for better pay and guarantees that federal immigration agents will not enter the venue.
An impressive 96 percent of the voters supported the strike call, meaning they can stop working at any time, with the World Cup kicking off on Thursday.
"Contract talks with the stadium food service operator Legends Global and FIFA have not made real progress on important pay and safety issues," the union said in a statement.
New discussions are set for Monday, just before the first World Cup match on US soil, which will be on June 12 at SoFi.
Cooks, dishwashers, bartenders, and other workers are part of Unite Here.
SoFi Stadium, the most expensive sports venue in the world that opened in 2020 at a cost over $5 billion, will host eight World Cup matches.
"If we have to strike, those $100,000 FIFA suites will only have bottled water and Doritos," said union co-president Kurt Petersen.
The union has insisted that workers should be able to leave if Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents come to SoFi during the World Cup and create "a reasonable fear for their safety."
ICE has been heavily criticized by human rights groups for its sometimes harsh raids in various US cities, including Los Angeles.
Workers at the stadium have also raised worries about sharing their personal information with FIFA, the global governing body of football, to get World Cup accreditation. They fear this data might be shared with ICE.
"The FIFA World Cup will bring in huge profits, but we are still fighting for basic respect and safety," stadium bartender Cesar Zamora said in a statement from the union.
"We deserve better, and if that means going on strike, Iām ready."
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