Labor friction shadows football stadium plan in LA suburbs

Friction between organized labor and the developers of a potential NFL stadium in the Los Angeles suburbs threatens to tangle up the project even before construction has started.

St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke is part of a group planning to build an 80,000-seat stadium in Inglewood, near Los Angeles.

But unions are troubled because the developers have not reached agreements assuring that labor will be part of the project that would create thousands of jobs.

Los Angeles County Federation of Labor Executive Secretary Rusty Hicks said in a statement Thursday the group wants “signed, written agreements” committing to good jobs for construction and operations at the stadium.

A developers’ spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.

The politically powerful unions could force a local vote on the plan.