In a significant development for San Diego’s premier pop-culture event, unionized food and beverage workers at the San Diego Convention Center have reached a tentative agreement, averting a potential strike just two weeks before Comic-Con 2024.
On Wednesday, members of United Here Local 30, representing 650 workers, had voted to authorize a strike as negotiations with Sodexo Live, the hospitality services contractor for the Convention Center, stalled. The workers’ contract expired on June 30, and they were advocating for better wages and enhanced benefits.
Both sides returned to the negotiating table on Friday, and by afternoon, a tentative agreement was announced. “We are happy to report that we just settled an amazing contract for our members,” said Brigette Browning, president of United Here Local 30, in an email to KPBS. She expressed confidence that the membership would approve the agreement in the forthcoming ratification vote.
Sodexo Live, which is seeking a 10-year contract extension with the Convention Center, confirmed the agreement, highlighting its key components: wage increases, expanded health coverage benefits, and additional improvements. “As an employer of choice in San Diego, we look forward to continuing to provide best-in-class hospitality to the world’s largest meetings, conventions, and events,” said Paul Pettas, Sodexo’s vice president of communications.
This isn’t the first time labor disputes have loomed over Comic-Con. In 2022, workers at Hilton Bayfront San Diego, represented by the same union, also authorized a strike that was resolved just days before the event. Last year, an actors’ strike led to a scaled-down Comic-Con, refocusing the convention on its comic book origins.
With the new agreement in place, the focus now returns to the excitement of Comic-Con 2024, promising an uninterrupted and vibrant event for fans and attendees.
For more local news and updates on San Diego’s events and businesses, visit ItsSoSanDiego.
#SanDiego #ComicCon2024 #LaborAgreement #UnionWorkers #ConventionCenter #SodexoLive #LocalNews #PopCultureEvent