Medieval Times performers have ended their nine-month strike and returned to work without a labor agreement, which has many performers fearing their union now will force them to pay union dues or fees to keep their jobs.
In a Monday, Nov. 27 blog post at the AFL-CIO, the American Guild of Variety Artists, which represents the striking employees, said it made an “unconditional offer to return to work.”
Performers at the Buena Park dinner theater had been on strike since February before resuming their roles Wednesday, Nov. 22.
Also see: Judge dismisses trademark lawsuit against striking Medieval Times performers, union
“We felt that it was in our best interest to continue to try to work toward the collective bargaining agreement while returning to work,” said Erin Zapcic, who plays a queen at the castle and serves as a union steward.
Zapcic said the nearly 30 queens, trumpet players, chancellors, knights and squires will continue their fight for higher wages and better working conditions.
The performers currently earn an average of $18 to $19 hourly but would like to see that boosted to $25 an hour to keep pace with the high cost of living in Southern California.
“Our fight’s not over, and just because we’re going back to work doesn’t mean we’re not 1,000% committed to getting a collective bargaining agreement that makes Medieval Times as safe and equitable as it possibly can be,” Zapcic said in a statement.
Attorney Daniel J. Sobol, who represents Medieval Times, could not be reached for comment.
AGVA officials were scheduled to meet with Medieval Times management on Tuesday, Nov. 28, according to Susanne Doris, secretary-treasurer at AGVA’s national office.
Michelle Dean, another performer at the Buena Park castle, filed a petition Monday with the National Labor Relations Board requesting a vote to remove AGVA union officials from power at her workplace.
The petition — filed with free legal aid from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation — includes the signatures of most of her fellow performers.
Because California lacks Right to Work protections for its private sector workers, AGVA union bosses have the power to enter into contracts with Medieval Times that would force the performers to pay union dues or fees to retain their jobs at the castle, the petition said.
In Right to Work states like Nevada and Arizona, union membership and union financial support are strictly voluntary.
However, in both non-Right to Work states and Right to Work states, union bosses have power over the work conditions of every employee in a unionized workplace, including those who don’t support or vote against the union.
A successful decertification vote strips union officials of that monopoly bargaining power.
National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix said AGVA union’s reign over Medieval Times performers resembles “a ruthless tyrant more interested in promoting union bosses’ power than what is best for rank-and-file employees.”
The Buena Park performers voted to join AGVA in November 2022. But Medieval Times management, they say, has consistently blocked their efforts to secure a “living wage” and provide improved safety measures.
The Buena Park employees launched an unfair labor practices strike against the company on Feb. 11, claiming management has given substantial pay hikes to workers at other Medieval Times castles while wages in Buena Park remain low amid unsafe work conditions.
Kate Ferrell, a Medieval Times performer who also plays a queen at the Buena Park location, said returning to work was “a decision we did not make lightly and was weighed against numerous logistical and legal factors.”
In an Instagram post, Ferrell said the company has chosen not to reinstate three of the striking performers for alleged “misconduct while on strike,” including strike captain Jake Bowman. She said the performers will be working to ensure their return to work.
Ferrell is urging the public to boycott Medieval Times over the company’s “flagrant and repeated disrespect of federal labor law and the rights of their own employees.”
Zapcic said Medieval Times brought in performers from other castles to ensure the shows could continue during the strike.
The Dallas-based entertainment company operates a total of 10 castle dinner theaters, with additional locations in Dallas, Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Myrtle Beach, Orlando, Scottsdale and Toronto.
“Did I envision this lasting so long? I certainly wouldn’t have if you had asked me in February,” Zapcic said earlier this month. “But after seeing what we’ve endured over the past months … this doesn’t surprise me.”
