In today’s news and commentary, SoFi Stadium workers vote to authorize a strike ahead of the World Cup, the NLRB finds Starbucks violated labor law in two rulings, and Trump’s $100,000 H-1B visa fee is struck down. 

Workers at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles voted 96% in favor of a strike on Friday, a week before the venue is set to host the US men’s team’s first World Cup match on June 12. UNITE HERE Local 11, which represents about 2,000 food service workers at the stadium, including bartenders, dishwashers, cooks, and concession workers, said talks with Legends Global, the subcontractor managing food and beverage services, have moved at a “glacial” pace. Workers are demanding higher wages, job security, and protections against subcontracting. A central concern is immigration enforcement: the union wants to ensure that ICE and Border Patrol play no role at the games, amid fears that workers could face deportation while working. “What good is the World Cup for Los Angeles when workers don’t earn enough to pay the rent and must choose between showing up and being kidnapped by ICE?” said Kurt Petersen, co-president of the union. LA County Sheriff Robert Luna said federal agents told him civil immigration enforcement would not occur at the matches, though he acknowledged that “any of that’s subject to change.” Negotiations are resuming this week. Hotel workers in Seattle also voted 94% in favor of a strike on Friday. UNITE HERE Local 8 members at an Embassy Suites near the city’s downtown stadium are demanding full healthcare coverage, better raises, and similar immigration protections ahead of World Cup matches in Seattle.

Next, the NLRB issued two rulings Friday finding that Starbucks violated federal labor law at stores in the Pacific Northwest. In the first ruling, the Board upheld a finding that Starbucks illegally changed its dress code enforcement at a Portland store without giving the union prior notice and an opportunity to bargain–a unilateral change to a mandatory subject of bargaining in violation of the NLRA. The Board ordered the company to expunge affected employees’ disciplinary records and rescind the unilateral policy change. In the second ruling, the Board upheld a finding that Starbucks illegally interrogated workers at two Seattle stores about whether they planned to participate in strikes between April and July 2023, ordering the company to cease the practice and post notices acknowledging the violation. 

Finally, on Monday, a federal judge struck down President Trump’s $100,000 H-1B visa application fee, ruling that the fee constitutes an unlawful tax imposed without Congressional authorization. Trump signed the executive order in September, dramatically increasing the H-1B application fee to discourage companies from hiring skilled foreign workers over American workers. Judge Leo T. Sorokin of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts sided with 20 states that argued the policy exceeded Presidential authority and would harm key sectors, including education and healthcare. Judge Sorokin cited the Supreme Court’s recent decision striking down Trump’s global tariffs, finding that “ambiguous language is not sufficient for establishing the delegation of the taxing power.” The White House said it would appeal the decision.