The following article was submitted by Brody and Associates, LLC. It is posted here with permission.

Major sporting events such as the World Cup and the Olympic Games are often viewed by employers as commercial events: larger crowds, heightened demand, expanded staffing needs, and global attention.

However, these events also create a concentrated point of vulnerability.

Recent labor activity surrounding the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games illustrates how unions may use the timing, public visibility, and operational urgency of mega events to press for wage increases, enhanced job protections, and broader contractual rights.

For employers, the lesson is straightforward: when a business depends on uninterrupted operations during a high-profile event, unions bargaining leverage skyrockets.

Employers in hospitality, stadium operations, food service, transportation, security, retail, cleaning services, construction, and event logistics should treat upcoming mega-events as labor-relations risk multipliers.

In the days leading to World Cup matches in Los Angeles, unionized hospitality workers at SoFi Stadium authorized a strike.

Due to its vulnerability, the stadium reached an agreement with the food-service union, which included substantial wage increases, premium pay for major events, protections against subcontracting and automation, privacy-related protections tied to FIFA’s employee verification processes, and a contractual right to walk off the job if...

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