Unionized San Diego Convention Center food and beverage workers have reached a tentative agreement Friday, averting a potential strike two weeks before the biggest pop-culture event is set to open.
On Wednesday, members of United Here Local 30, representing 650 food and beverage workers at the Convention Center, voted to authorize a strike.
Both sides were back at the negotiating table Friday.
“We are happy to report that we just settled an amazing contract for our members,” United Here Local 30 president Brigette Browning said in an email to KPBS. “We need to schedule ratification, but we are confident it will be approved by the membership.”
The workers' contract expired June 30, and they were fighting for better wages, among other benefits.
The Convention Center contracts its hospitality services to Sodexo Live, which is seeking a 10-year contract extension for the venue this year.
In a statement to KPBS, Sodexo said the tentative agreement includes "wage increases, expanded health coverage benefits and more."
"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, and this agreement will ensure increased economic vitality for the individuals who have careers with us at the San Diego Convention Center,” said Paul Pettas, Sodexo's vice president of communications.
This was not the first time a workers’ dispute has threatened to overshadow Comic-Con.
In 2022, Hilton Bayfront San Diego workers, also represented by United Here, struck.
The hotel is steps away from the Convention Center and is the place where many big-name stars stay during Comic-Con. The deal was reached just days before Comic-Con opened.
Last year, an actors’ strike forced Comic-Con to tone down and focus more on its roots — comics.
