If, for some unthinkable reason, you’d intended to catch the new Captain America movie—or any film for that matter—over the last few weeks, there’s a solid chance your local Alamo Drafthouse has been a little short on screenings.
According to Hell Gate, the theaters have limited or entirely suspended weekend screenings in response to a worker’s strike, which is now firmly into a second week and does not appear to be resolving anytime soon. Staff members reportedly staged a walkout on February 14 and picketed Sony’s HQ in Midtown in protest of a history of chronic understaffing, which was recently underscored by a layoff of 70 employees at Alamo’s two NYC locations—or 20% of their staff—in January, following Alamo’s acquisition by Sony. “Alamo has a serious understaffing model, it’s part of their business model,” said Jordan Baruch, a concierge at the Brooklyn location, in a statement to the publication. “Everyday, it’s the nightmare of everyone arriving at once to a restaurant, but multiple times a day. Now they’re undercutting us even further through these layoffs,” Baruch added.
Understaffing during a particularly chaotic period at the box office in 2023 (the “Barbenheimer” event) led workers to unionize. But over a year down the line since negotiations began, Alamo United still has no contract in place. And working conditions have only continued to plummet. “During Thanksgiving last year, during Wicked and Moana 2, we were crazy understaffed then, and there were times when only one or two dishwashers were in the back, because the managers claimed that business was slow,” recalls Jordan Ellis, a dishwasher at the Brooklyn location, of the breakdowns and inefficiencies caused by the lack of staff. “Dishes would pile up. Essentially during each rush, the kitchen tells us how many plates they need, and we are still trying to clean the dishes from a theater that just let out.”
Alamo United claims they’ll resume contract negotiations this week, but workers will remain on strike until then. The union has launched a pair of GoFundMe campaigns in the meantime; one for those laid off in January, and another for those currently striking.
Brooklyn Magazine has reached out to striking workers and Alamo reps for comment.
The post Alamo Drafthouse Workers Are Striking in Protest of Layoffs appeared first on BKMAG.
