Unionized workers at Alamo Drafthouse’s Sloan’s Lake location went on strike Friday, blaming a round of surprise layoffs impacting movie theaters in the Denver area and across the country.
Josh Reitze — a theater employee and steward for Communication Workers of America Local 7777, which represents workers — said the company’s decision to cut 11 jobs at the Denver theater earlier this month violated labor law and turned persistent understaffing into a crisis.
“Everyone’s feeling the pressure,” Reitze said. “This came out of nowhere, and it really hurt the bargaining process. It deeply disappointed the staff, as well. We’re friends, and roommates, and we’re all affected by this.”
Phone calls to the theater went unanswered and its website indicated no tickets were available Saturday. Alamo Drafthouse spokesman Ryan Fons said the company would not officially comment on the strike.
Reitze said the chain hasn’t explained why the layoffs were financially necessary, and the suddenness of the decision undermined trust between Local 7777 and the company. A statement sponsored by CWA also said Alamo Drafthouse refused to consider reducing employees’ hours as an alternative to layoffs.
Employees of two Alamo Drafthouse theaters in New York voted to join Sloan’s Lake workers in their walkout Friday, according to The Hollywood Reporter, meaning all three unionized theaters out of the company’s 42 U.S. locations are currently on strike.
Alamo Drafthouse also operates theaters in Littleton and Westminster, which Reitze said have experienced layoffs and whose workers are also in the process of unionizing but are not currently participating in the strike.
Editor’s note: Union members in The Denver Post newsroom belong to a separate unit of the Communication Workers of America.
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