Workers at Alamo Drafthouse in Downtown Brooklyn are seeking to unionize
Citing a 'history of management abuse,' 175 employees at the Alamo seek to join the United Auto Workers union
Working at the Alamo Drafthouse in Downtown Brooklyn is apparently not as enjoyable as seeing a film there.
About 175 employees at the popular movie house are banding together to petition he National Labor Relations Board to form a union with the United Auto Workers Local 2179, citing a variety of reasons including “health and safety concerns, harmful corporate restructuring, chronic staffing issues and a long history of management abuse and bullying.”
In a release, the workers said that Alamo has ignored their pleas for new or replacement equipment at the dine-in theater, pay raises and improved staffing. They said that “workers are tired of being told that there isn’t room in Alamo’s budget for its most profitable venue.”
“The workers of Alamo Drafthouse Downtown Brooklyn demand the company respect its exploited workforce and share the profits reaped year-round with those who sacrifice their bodies, minds and hearts to create those profits,” the letter concluded.
An employee told Hyperallergic that in addition to shady scheduling practices (including having bosses cancel employees’ shifts at the last minute), that there’s an apparent fruit fly infestation and mold in the kitchen.
“A lot of these health and safety problems come down to the understaffing problem,” Bridge Squitire, a server at Alamo, told the blog. “Alamo corporate is trying to cut every corner they possibly can at our location and not support us. One of the ways that money gets cut, one of the first ways, is labor costs.”
The union said it has met the threshold of 75 percent of its 190 employees to be covered by the bargaining group and hopes to be represented by UAW Local 2179. The United Autoworkers already represent workers at AMC theaters in the city and other service industry employees, according to Deadline.
Of course, it’s not a done deal that a union will be formed. A hearing could be scheduled next month if Alamo and employees can’t agree on a deal. Alamo didn’t immediately respond to Brooklyn Magazine’s request for comment.
