Reasonable demands

"If corporate CEOs, the IOC, LA28, and city leaders fail to meet workers’ needs, workers and their supporters will be prepared to take to the streets and to strike"

Signs that read Fair Games showing photos of workers are held up by a crowd in front of the LA Coliseum
Can LA host a megaevent that focuses on the needs of workers?

Ever since Los Angeles was awarded the Olympics, the Coliseum has served as the backdrop for city leaders to share their 2028 plans. (Or, as I like to call them, what plans?) This morning, it was time to hear from the people. Squinting in the sun, a crowd of about 200 stood below the rings, waving posters with full-color photos of workers sharing what 2028 looked like to them — union jobs, more housing, an Airbnb ban, a guarantee of safety for immigrant communities as the federal government continued its reign of terror.

It was a poignant reminder that it's workers who will make LA's megaevents happen. And with 60 local labor and housing groups represented at this morning's rally, it was pretty clear that this broad coalition could also make sure those megaevents do not happen.

That's exactly how the Fair Games coalition announced its New Deal for the Olympic and Paralympic Games today: "If corporate CEOs, the IOC, LA28, and city leaders fail to meet workers’ needs, workers and their supporters will be prepared to take to the streets and to strike."

The Fair Games coalition is assembled in Expo Park presenting their vision for a New Deal for LA's upcoming megaevents. This is a *huge* group of unions and nonprofits with a list of demands that include living wage jobs, funding for 50k units of housing, and a moratorium on short-term rentals

Alissa Walker (@awalkerinla.bsky.social) 2025-08-21T15:39:57.309Z

Torched readers will remember back in October 2024 when the unions representing over 30,000 tourism workers sent a letter to the IOC, LA28, FIFA, and Los Angeles World Cup Host Committee demanding that megaevent producers endorse the Olympic wage, a $30/hour minimum wage for those workers by 2028.

Compare that letter to today's demands, where tourism workers were joined by some of the biggest unions in LA — United Farm Workers, UFCW 770, UTLA — that represent easily over 100,000 local workers. This coalition threatening to tank the games is growing. And for those keeping score at home, there are now technically two coalitions that are threatening to derail the games if demands are not met. NOlympics LA has an entire separate coalition of local partners who don't want fair games — they want no games.

Some of the Fair Games demands, which are posted here and shared by me on social media, aim to hold the city of LA more accountable for what it's already supposed to be doing. In addition to implementing the Olympic wage — which has been held up by challenges from hotel and airline companies, including LA28 sponsor Delta — the coalition is calling for a more transparent and open deal-making process as the city signs the final rounds of hosting agreements.

The rest of the demands are for the IOC and LA28. And while some of these are a tad bit optimistic — I can't imagine the IOC shelling out $5 billion for housing when it gave us a paltry $160 million for youth sports — it should be noted that some of the specific demands, like constructing an Olympic village that converts into affordable housing, were originally promised by the organizing committee when the city was bidding to host the games, but never materialized.

A Paris-Style Olympic Village that Transitions to Housing LA28 Chairman Casey Wasserman promised that if Los Angeles won its bid to host the Olympics, it would build an Olympic Village with 17,000 beds for athletes, coaches and staff that would later be converted into permanent housing for residents.vii Paris managed to accomplish a similar housing construction program for the 2024 Games in which the city built a new Olympic Village for athletes that then became permanent social housing for working class people.viii However, LA28 and the City reneged on this promise to do the same in LA and has since backed away from any commitment to help to reduce homelessness.ix This legacy project should move forward.

Most notable in light of recent events is the demand for a moratorium on short-term rentals. As I wrote last week, Airbnb is plastering the city with a shady campaign that aims to weaken the city's short-term rental ordinance. The Fair Games coalition not only wants Airbnb banned, this letter is now calling for the IOC to end that partnership with Airbnb, a "company whose business model undermines the very communities that host the Games."

But the final demand — dignified treatment of immigrant communities — could prove to be the sticking point. Leaders at both the IOC and LA28 refuse to condemn the ICE raids, as the Fair Games coalition is calling for, because it would put them directly in conflict with their buddies in the White House.

Safe and Dignified Treatment of Immigrant Communities Southern California is a proudly diverse immigrant community, rich and vibrant in culture. This uniqueness makes it an ideal location for the Olympics and Paralympic Games, and a draw for visitors from around the world. The success of international events like the Olympic and the Paralympics depend on the spirit of openness and safety extended to all participants, the people who work the events, and to the surrounding communities that host the event. We demand that the IOC press the US government to protect the constitutional rights of the many immigrants who live, work, and contribute meaningfully to the cities selected to host the games, and guarantee the fundamental rights of the millions of foreign visitors and fans who will seek entry to the United States to attend the events. We demand the IOC join in a call for a full moratorium on ICE raids and a fair path to citizenship for all. We demand that companies that employ workers who will make the Games possible agree to essential protections for immigrant workers.

Interestingly enough, today's press conference began right after a Hollywood Reporter profile of LA28 chair Casey Wasserman dropped. The interview also takes place at the Coliseum, on a July day when LA is "still traumatized by ongoing ICE sweeps and the recent invasion of National Guard troops." It would have been a perfect moment for Wasserman to say... literally anything about the situation.

Instead, as a helicopter circles above, Wasserman makes a joke: "Let's just hope we're not in any danger."

Of course he isn't. But he's totally fine putting the rest of Los Angeles in harm's way. 🔥

🎉 You guys, it's almost time for Torched's annual paid subscriber party! Save the date, it's Saturday, September 20 — and if you haven't yet become a paid subscriber WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING

🥇 On September 7 at 4:30 p.m., I'll be appearing on a panel with some members of the Fair Games coalition as part of the Medaling in Justice event. All details here

🌡️ As you swelter in this week's heatwave, please remember to check on your neighbors — and be sure to watch the video of my Torched Talks with Shade author Sam Bloch about keeping cities cool, now up here

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