Protesters Rally at Lucas Museum Opening for Worker Protections

Days before the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art’s official opening, protesters from the Fair Games Coalition gathered outside the museum. They wore Jedi robes and Jar Jar Binks masks and carried lightsabers, voicing their demands for better worker protections during major sports events. The group, known for advocating such protections, was present at the museum’s private opening party on Saturday night. Their protest followed the recent resignation of Mellody Hobson, the museum’s co-founder, from the Los Angeles Olympics organizing committee, LA28.

Jessica Durrum, director of the Fair Games Coalition for the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, explained the group’s mission. “We launched the campaign with some real, reasonable demands,” she stated. “If the Olympics are coming to town, we want to make sure there are lasting benefits for our communities.” The coalition comprises over 80 organizations, including United Teachers Los Angeles, National Union of Healthcare Workers, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 770, United Farm Workers, and various community groups.

Ahead of big events like the Olympics, the coalition seeks several demands. These include employers providing union jobs, living wages, funding for 50,000 housing units for working families, a moratorium on short-term rentals, and protections for immigrant workers.

Gladys Avyla has worked as a cleaner at the W Hotel in Hollywood for 14 years.

After being priced out of Los Angeles, she now resides in Victorville. Avyla fears the cost of living will rise with the influx of major sporting events, stating, “Rent is very high, and everything is expensive. It’s hard living here. We need a wage increase for the Olympics because everything costs so much.” She expressed the need for support for all workers and lamented the lack of human treatment.

Hobson, alongside her husband George Lucas, co-founded the billion-dollar museum. She stepped down from LA28, citing the demands of running the Lucas Museum. The Fair Games Coalition, however, believes her resignation was a response to their attempts to discuss concerns. Rev. Gary Bernard Williams of St. Mark United Methodist Church, a coalition member, criticized the situation, stating, “There’s going to be a lot of money flowing at the top. Very little money will be trickling down to the workers who need it the most.”

The LA28 committee and the Lucas Museum did not immediately comment on these developments. During the World Cup this year, several games were hosted in L.A. Before the event, Unite Here Local 11, which represents various service workers, reached a tentative agreement with SoFi Stadium’s food-service operator. This was possible with support from the Fair Games Coalition.

According to Pastor Bridie Roberts, community organizing director at Unite Here Local 11, the coalition’s backing proved beneficial during negotiations. “Our members face serious, critical decisions every single day about how to make ends meet,” she said. She highlighted the potential of the games to provide real benefits for working people but emphasized the need for collective effort to achieve them.