Another Alamo Drafthouse votes to unionize
In another organizing win for employees of the dine-in theater chain, workers at an Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, TX, have voted to unionize their workplace. Per The Hollywood Reporter, a vote held by workers at Drafthouse’s Slaughter Lane location resulted in a 52-16 vote in favor of unionizing with the United Auto Workers. 94% of eligible voters participated, and the Slaughter Lane workers await certification of the Union, which members are proudly calling SlaughterHouse United, by the National Labor Relations Board. A spokesperson for the Union said the vote is the “result of four months of hard work and outreach by organizers.” They continued, “We look forward to the result being officially certified by the NLRB post-haste and to begin bargaining with Alamo in good faith to secure a fair contract for our workplace.” A spokesperson for the theater chain said, “We respect Alamo Drafthouse Slaughter Lane theater’s right to organize, and we are committed to bargaining in good faith.”
Earlier this year, widespread layoffs throughout Alamo galvanized unionization efforts, as locations saw as many as 30 people laid off. Theaters in New York and Denver have since unionized and struck over the layoffs, attempting to regain workers’ jobs. Two of Alamo’s New York locations, Brooklyn and Manhattan, stopped work for 58 days. All jobs were reinstated.