But for some employees at the Alamo Drawing Room in Manhattan, “Bappenheimer” is the turning point.
“It really pushed us to the limit,” said Maggie Quick, a guest server. “It’s just continued understaffing and emotional exhaustion.”
“People were waiting longer than usual for their food, which made them grumpy and impatient,” recalled shift leader Tyler Trautman. “We are customer facing. It takes a mental toll to be yelled at by a customer because their drink has been out for an hour.”
Quick and Trautman were among dozens of members of the Manhattan theater group who decided it was time to unionize. Alamo employees, working with United Auto Workers Local 2179, voted to unionize this week, with nearly two-thirds in favor. They, along with Alamo employees at the Brooklyn Theater, voted to become a member of Local 2179 last month.
“We’re very excited to be able to move forward in solidarity with Brooklyn,” Quick said after the vote was announced. “We have strength in numbers and want to see some real change.”
An Alamo spokesman said the company declined to comment.
Cinema union forms union
Sometime Industrial action in the film industry On top of this, union activity in movie theaters themselves is also expanding, a trend that began during the pandemic. Over the past two years, staff have been formed at the Film Forum and Anthology Film Archives in New York, the Amherst Cinema in Massachusetts, and the Alamo Drawing Rooms in San Francisco and Austin, Texas (where the Alamo Corporation is headquartered) or trying to form a union.
Transition to joint stores going well In some theaters. Amherst’s owners voluntarily agreed to recognize the union and a contract was reached earlier this year. Film Forum workers joined the union in 2022 and last summer agreed to a five-year contract with an average wage increase of 12%. Last year, staff at the Anthology Film Archive went on strike for a day but later agreed to terms.
“Overall, things were pretty peaceful,” said Olga Brudastova, president of UAW Local 2110, the union representing the Film Forum and Anthology Film Archives. Film Forum general manager Chad Bolton said in a statement that the contract came about after a “thorough and thoughtful process.”
But at Alamo Drafthouse, the chain is known for its eclectic movie and theater offerings Catering Services, Employees spoke of the company’s ongoing boycott. Alamo management in New York posted flyers urging workers not to unionize and invited speakers from Texas, including Alamo co-founder Tim League, according to images and audio recordings obtained by The Associated Press (Tim League).
“We appreciate all you do for our venues and believe we can work better together to resolve issues without a third party like a union stepping in to charge us dues,” one flyer reads.
Alamo held meetings in Manhattan and Brooklyn in the weeks leading up to the union vote. At each gathering, management officials acknowledged employee dissatisfaction while reiterating that any issues were best resolved entirely within the company.
According to the recording, League was in Brooklyn recounting the company’s history, which dates back to the 1990s. He spoke of his dedication to the Alamo and his own love of progress, including his “enthusiastic” support of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Lieger and his wife, along with Alamo co-founder Cary Lieger, have contributed to several Democratic candidates. Tim League publicly praised the pro-labor senator’s 2016 presidential campaign, telling CNBC in 2016 that “Bernie would be good for America.”
Lieger stressed that he “understands” what makes Hollywood actors and writers compelling and why Auto workers went on strike. But for Alamo, he said, a union would be a step back and a “communication barrier.”
“I’m fully aware of my personal biases,” he said. “I don’t think a union is the right solution for Alamo, that’s my personal opinion. I’m worried that a union will drive a wedge between us.”
Only 6% of U.S. private sector workers Today, they are unionized, accounting for only a fraction of the 35% in the 1950s. But more workers in many industries have recently begun to organize, and their actions are gaining public support. Support for stronger unions is at 67%, according to Gallup, down slightly from 71% last year but on par with levels in the 1960s. A Recent AP-NORC polls A majority of American adults were found to sympathize with the Hollywood workers’ strike.
The league is a recent graduate of Rice University, and in 1997 they opened the first Alamo in Austin, a single-screen venue. They quickly established a reputation among movie buffs and opened several other locations throughout Texas over the next few years. In 2005, Entertainment Weekly named the Alamo Drawing Room the best movie theater in the country, calling it a “movie geek paradise.”
The company now owns dozens of theaters across the U.S. but has struggled financially during the pandemic. In March 2021, the company File for bankruptcy under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code, Some locations were closed and plans to open new ones were canceled. Alamo emerged from bankruptcy in May 2021 and is owned by League. Altamont Capital Partners and Fortress Investment Group. Former Caveman Foods executive Michael Kusterman has served as Alamo CEO since July, succeeding the retiring Shelli Taylor.
League, who became Alamo executive chairman in 2020, said in the recording that he was “disappointed” that Brooklyn workers wanted to unionize, while adding that the company can’t meet his expectations for Alamo without happy employees of high standards. He acknowledged past mistakes, including a “troubling lack of communication,” but said Alamo is committed to moving forward. He asked employees to give the management team a year to prove themselves.
“I heard it and I will continue to listen,” he said. “Like I said, I built this company into the best movie theater ever or ever will be. That’s an ambitious goal. It will never be complete. I personally feel strongly that between you and me and the team Building alliances between the two countries would hinder the achievement of that goal. So even after all the hard work and hard work to get to this point, I am asking you to vote against unionization.”
Within days, Brooklyn workers voted by more than 2 to 1 to unionize.
“For years, workers at Brooklyn’s Alamo have tried without success to resolve their issues through dialogue with management,” the union statement read in part. “Now the Alamo Drawing Room must meet us at the bargaining table.”
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