Family Date Night in Dallas, Texasĭate nights with my husband are always a special treat, however, some nights we want to go out with the kids. This post is sponsored by Medieval Times Dallas, TX. Opinions expressed here are my own. “The strike will continue until the company is willing to negotiate in good faith.Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. “They are seeking a better quality of life, more safety benefits and salaries that would afford them a better life here in Orange County,” she said. And Zapcic fell from her horse in 2021 just as she entered the tunnel that brought her onstage.Īlvarado said the Medieval Times employees deserve more. Jake Bowman, cast as a knight in the performances, fractured his thumb last year when an opponent’s sword came down on his hand. Performers at the Buena Park castle have long complained of low wages and unsafe work conditions. Medieval Times workers vote to join American Guild of Variety Artists.Medieval Times employees set to vote on unionizing.Buena Park’s Medieval Times is a castle divided by union disillusion.Performers at Medieval Times are looking to unionize.Medieval Times workers launch unfair labor practice strike.“A similar performer at Disneyland makes $33 an hour for 15-minute shows with breaks in between.” Related links “We have knights who make $18.50 an hour, and they’re falling off of horses,” she said. Zapcic, who has worked at Medieval Times for 12 years, said she earns $21.50 an hour, while performers at Disneyland make $30 an hour or more doing the same kind of work. The employees are seeking to have the lawsuit dismissed since they aren’t benefiting by selling products or services connected with the logo. That happened at every castle except Buena Park and New Jersey.”ĭoris said the Buena Park strike was launched after management blocked the employees’ Facebook and TikTok pages and filed a trademark infringement lawsuit for their use of the company logo. “And after Buena Park unionized, management started giving knights a 25% raise, while others in the show cast got a 15% to 20% raise. “After the New Jersey location voted to become part of the union, Medieval Times gave a $1-an-hour raise to employees at every castle except New Jersey,” Doris said recently. Doris, AGVA’s executive secretary-treasurer. castle where the workers also secured AGVA membership.īoth have suffered retaliation as a result, according to Susanne K. The unionization in Buena Park came on the heels of another union victory earlier last year at Medieval Times’ Lyndhurst, N.J. Sobol, who represents Medieval Times, could not be reached for comment. “The company has not called any emergency sessions during the strike.”Īttorney Daniel J. “That was already scheduled before the strike,” she said. Zapcic said management and the newly unionized employees have not held any labor negotiations during the strike, although a bargaining session is set for March 15. We’re giving performers paid days off and trying not to work everyone six days a week.” We actually have an over-stacked cast right now. “We’ve had performers come in from some of the other castles to help out,” Taylor said. “But we’re selling out on the weekends, and the arena seats 1,300 people.”ĭallas-based Medieval Times operates a total of 10 castle dinner theaters, with additional locations in Lyndhurst, N.J., Dallas, Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Myrtle Beach, Orlando, Scottsdale and Toronto. “We’re getting 500 to 600 people for weekday shows, which is pretty normal,” she said. Other performers decided not to strike but are still part of the bargaining unit. Zapcic said about 30 of the newly unionized performers - including queens, trumpet players, chancellors, knights and squires - opted to walk out. They say management has consistently blocked their efforts to secure a “living wage” and provide improved safety measures. “We’re confident we will prevail in the end.”Ī group of some 50 performers and stable hands voted in November to join the American Guild of Variety Artists. “Morale is good,” said Erin Zapcic, who portrays a queen in the shows and is among the picketers. 11, claiming management had given substantial pay hikes to workers at other Medieval Times dinner theaters while their wages remained low amid unsafe work conditions. Their cause has drawn support from local labor unions, too. Even as customers continue to pack Medieval Times, dozens of performers continue to picket the Buena Park castle after launching an unfair labor practice strike against management last month.
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