Union activists are going medieval in Orange County – Medieval Times, that is. On Friday, a supermajority of 50 employees – knights, show cast and stable hands – working at the Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament in Buena Park threw down the gauntlet and filed for a union election with the NLRB to be represented by the American Guild of Variety Artists. The move comes a week after performers at the Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament Castle in Lyndhurst, New Jersey, voted to unionize with AGVA.
In a statement, the California organizing committee of Medieval Times Performers United said that “In order to create a fairer, safer, and more enjoyable workplace, we also need to have a place at the table, with the American Guild of Variety Artists, and collaboratively can achieve improved safety protocols and working conditions, as well as wages commensurate with our skills.
“Although the Buena Park Castle shares many of the same issues as the Lyndhurst, New Jersey Castle, our rigorous performance schedule – as many as 16 performances in one week – weighs heavily on a show team that has been critically understaffed since reopening post-pandemic in June 2021. Through collective bargaining, we can close the gap and ensure that all performers are safe from injury, including our spectacular horses.”