Medieval Times performers who fought long and hard to unionize the Buena Park dinner theatre and another Medieval Times location in New Jersey were handed a defeat this week when other performers succeeded in removing union control of the castles.
The move comes after a majority of actors backed petitions for the National Labor Relations Board to hold elections on whether to remove the American Guild of Variety Artists.
They received free legal aid from the National Right to Work Foundation in navigating the NLRB’s union decertification process. The NLRB is the federal agency responsible for administering elections to install or remove unions.
Also see: Judge dismisses trademark lawsuit against striking Medieval Times performers, union
“Decertification removes a union’s power to represent workers,” foundation President Mark Mix said.
The actors sought union control in an effort to secure higher wages and improved safety conditions. Local performers in Buena Park say they average $18 to $19 an hour but want that boosted to $25 an hour to keep pace with the high cost of living in Southern California.
Performers opposed to unionization complained because it required them to pay union dues to keep their jobs. They were also wary of AGVA’s control, as union bosses have power over the working conditions of every employee in a unionized workplace, including those who don’t support the union.
Union opponents said AGVA opted to abandon union control of the Buena Park and Lyndhurst, N.J. castles as opposed to fighting attorneys at the National Right to Work Foundation.
But Susanne Doris, AGVA’s executive secretary-treasurer, said AGVA pulled away because many pro-union employees grew tired of the fight and left for other jobs.
“We lost at least 19 members who had voted us in,” she said. “And Medieval Times was hiring new employees who didn’t necessarily want or need a union. They had no allegiance to us, so we lost that…
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