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LA Unions Prepare for Potential Strikes During 2028 Olympics
Published: 2026/01/24 14:03:50
Inspired by paris, Labour groups aim to Maximize Bargaining Power
As Los Angeles prepares to host the 2028 Summer Olympics, local labor unions are drawing lessons from the 2024 Paris Games, where strikes by hotel workers threatened to disrupt the opening ceremonies. The French workers successfully negotiated improved wages and benefits, and Los Angeles unions are hoping to replicate that success.
Strategic Contract Expiration Dates
unite Hear Local 11, representing approximately 25,000 workers in hotels, airports, sports arenas, and convention centers, has strategically aligned over 100 collective bargaining agreements to expire in January 2028 – just months before the Olympic opening ceremony. This timing is designed to maximize the union’s bargaining power. kurt Petersen, co-President of Unite Here Local 11, stated, “We are going to have a force… of working people to do whatever it takes, including striking if we have to during the Olympics in 2028. The Olympics can’t happen without the workers.”
Other unions are following suit. United Food and Commercial Workers Local 770, representing workers in healthcare, grocery, and packing, and the Service Employees International Union Local 721, representing over 100,000 Los Angeles County employees, are also planning to leverage contract expirations in the first half of 2028.
Beyond Wages: broader Demands for Social Change
The labor movement’s goals extend beyond wages and benefits. A coalition of labor groups, community organizations, and religious institutions is advocating for the Los Angeles Olympics organizing committee (LA28) and the city to address broader social issues. These demands include the construction of 50,000 affordable housing units, a moratorium on short-term rentals like Airbnb, and protections for immigrant workers.
Olympics as a Catalyst for Labor gains
Experts believe the Olympics present a unique opportunity for organized labor. Jules Boykoff, a professor at Pacific University who studies the impact of the Olympics on workers, describes the Games as a “once-in-a-generation
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