As Houston prepares for the World Cup, some stadium and hospitality workers say they’re still not earning a living wage. They rallied outside Shell Energy Stadium last night calling for higher pay. DeVon Raming joins us now. DeVon, workers say the rising cost of these events isn’t reflected in their paychecks? Well, many of the workers who gathered out here on Wednesday night say that even though prices for things like drinks and concessions have gone up, they say that that’s not factoring into their wages and the struggle when it comes to the cost of living here in the city of Houston.
What about the workers? >> More than a dozen stadium, airport, and hospitality workers gathered outside Shell Energy Stadium Wednesday evening ahead of a soccer match calling for the city’s respect. Workers and labor organizers with Unite Here Local 23 say employees helping run Houston’s biggest event deserve higher pay and more respect, especially with the city preparing to host World Cup event. One worker who’s been employed at stadiums for more than two decades says her hourly pay increased to $10 an hour just a couple years ago. They’re giving a 10% raise on their products.
How come we can’t get some of that from that product? A bunch of times they tell us that they don’t try to give us a raise because we do get tips, but we can’t depend on the tips cuz it’s not all the time we get tips. Now, Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis sent an email statement in response to the demand for increased wages saying in part, “Stadium concessions workers deserve fair pay, dignity, and the ability to support themselves and their families without working three or four jobs just to stay afloat.” Now, with all that being said, union leaders say they are not planning to strike during the World Cup games. They simply are just wanting to bring awareness to the issues leading up to the big games.
In Edo, DeVon Raming, KHOU 11 News.
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