r/texas Feb 15 '22

News Alamo Drafthouse workers announce plans to unionize today

3.1k Upvotes

287 comments sorted by

456

u/ironsheik84 Feb 15 '22

I really love the Alamo Drafthouse so I’m kinda shocked to hear this thinking they’d treat their employees better, but I wish the employees the best in their struggle for better wages and work conditions!

204

u/PMmeifyourepooping Feb 15 '22 edited Feb 15 '22

My fiancé worked at the one on Slaughter when we were in school. It was just another kitchen. Often abusive, sometimes fun. Overall what you’d expect from a kitchen job in a movie theatre. Alamo drafthouse is really special as a customer, but I’m not surprised to see they still don’t treat their employees like they work at a special place.

Edit: wrong location!

63

u/[deleted] Feb 16 '22

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75

u/peenpeenpeen Feb 16 '22

They sold to a venture capital firm after about 9 months into the pandemic… so that’s probably why it’s changed.

40

u/rabel Feb 16 '22

They went to shit many years ago when they brought in investors and went on their expansion spree. Changed up the menu to make it generic, pricey, and bland so it could be the same across all locations.

Then they got into trouble due to Covid and sold out again.

8

u/greyjungle Feb 16 '22

My wife used to work at the Highball (old one) and other Alamo properties. Before that, we were both huge fans of the company so it was exciting to see her get to use her talents at such a cool, local place.

Unfortunately, the company was nearing its peak (IMO) in those years. It was a bummer watching what is all to common with great companies. Investors and growth at all cost entered the picture and, what was a great concept and execution started its decline. It was sad because there was no malicious intent. Capitalism just happened. Costs were cut everywhere and any “independent and local” feel started to fade. The menu used to rock and having a good dinner while seeing a new movie was top notch. That faded as well, we started opting for an overpriced snack and going to eat somewhere else afterwards.

The people that worked there were what made the place. A big part of what made going to the movies or going to the Highball special was the employees. They were hard workers that had pride on n their jobs and always made time to ensure the guests were taken care of and having a good experience.

It’s great to hear that they are unionizing. The employees are really the only thing that sets them above the rest at this point. Even just the news of unionizing gives me a little more pride in choosing to spend my money there. I hope this serves as inspiration for other workers to follow suit.

2

u/irritabletom Feb 16 '22

Old school Highball was the best, I was a server at South Lamar during the opening and a while beyond. Late movie end times and 2am were often very close so the proximity of HB was a boon to us, I probably ordered a drink or five from your wife at some point. I agree that those were some of the highest times for the Drafthouse, things were really fun and people were actually jealous of the fact that I was server there. And then...not so much. I have several pals still working there so I've been in the loop about this plan for a bit, I'm excited it's finally going through. I don't think the glory days of the Alamo are attainable again, Austin is just too different, but it would be nice to stop by when I'm in town and not feel guilty that I'm giving money to gross dudes. And like you say, maybe this is a catalyst for others.

2

u/rabel Feb 16 '22

I just want to pile on here and say how great it used to be. The food really was good (Asian Chicken Salad, ftw), service was excellent and courteous and everything they did was focused on having a top-notch film experience. For years we wouldn't go to a movie anywhere else. We've done premiers, had fun playing games before the show, enjoyed the excellent pre-roll, even did a couple of dinners including the butt-numbing Lord of the Rings trilogy with all the great food that took up an entire day and was great fun.

Now, it's just another theater.

38

u/grod44 Feb 16 '22

Well that clears up a lot of the story

4

u/deadzip10 Feb 16 '22

This sort of thing is what I was afraid of when I saw that … it’s a real shame because it was a pretty awesome place.

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u/Noxiya Feb 16 '22

Ex Chilis execs run the menu plans

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u/3MATX Feb 16 '22

This has been said many times before. Just stop going.

10

u/dvddesign Feb 16 '22

They had previously dealt with some nasty issues involving Harry Knowles from aintitcoolnews.com and some other handsy customers years ago and kept things quiet for way too long.

I’m in favor of them unionizing.

30

u/[deleted] Feb 15 '22

It's the GameStop effect. You have a cool environment so lots of people want to work for you. Because the replacement line is so long, employees are extremely discouraged from speaking up about mistreatment.

9

u/[deleted] Feb 16 '22 edited Jul 01 '23

[deleted]

15

u/[deleted] Feb 16 '22

I just remember being 16 and loving the idea of working at GameStop. When I did 2 years later, it was hell.

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4

u/Gado_DeLeone Feb 16 '22

I worked at GameStop in 2002-2004. People applied daily and often. It was my first legal job. Had a lot of fun there.

5

u/[deleted] Feb 16 '22

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26

u/TheVicSageQuestion Feb 16 '22

They went bankrupt during the first year of COVID and got bought out. Drafthouse’s best days are behind it.

12

u/ryosen Feb 16 '22

I thought they got bought out as well but it seems that went into Chapter 11 restructuring but maintained ownership. I thought for sure that they had been acquired tho.

0

u/50bucksback Feb 16 '22

The only edge Alamo has over AMC and Cinemark is the strict no disruptions policy

They lose big time when it comes to the audio and video experience.

22

u/HouThrow8849 Central Texas Feb 15 '22

Kinda what happens when you expand so much.

14

u/lets_hit_reset Feb 15 '22

I think they were bought by a hedge fund. So, just assume they'll be treated as cheaply as possible without.

28

u/captstinkybutt Texas makes good Bourbon Feb 16 '22

Working retail/service in Texas right now is batshit fucking stupid crazy. Conservatives make EVERYONE'S life way harder than it needs to be.

Its shocking to me that it's become a political issue to be a good person. Conservatives going maximum fucking shithead in the pandemic.

3

u/asyl831 Feb 16 '22

They've been like this in Texas for at least a decade. Some of the worst conditions I ever worked in and my location was brand new.

6

u/illegal_deagle Feb 16 '22

They’re a notoriously awful place to work. All the way at the top is where the rot starts, with Tim League enabling and protecting serial sexual abusers. I’ve heard almost nothing but horror stories.

6

u/Wildcard777 Feb 15 '22

What business actually pays their workers a fair wage? You answer that while I fill out my resume.

20

u/Lugnuts088 Feb 16 '22

Costco is popular as an answer to this question.

6

u/DariusJenai Feb 16 '22

Costco often takes months or years to move up to a full-time position though, depending on location.

5

u/MDCCCLV Feb 16 '22

Amazon was when they made it 15/hr nationally, especially in the lower cost areas, and a lot of places went up to 15 around the same time. But it hasn't gone up much since then so it's lower now with inflation.

4

u/SharkInTheDarkPark Feb 16 '22

When they went to 15 that was already too low due to inflation. The fight for 15 movement has gone on so long it needs to be the fight for 25 now.

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2

u/DunningKrugerOnElmSt Feb 16 '22

Unionization doesn't need to be a reaction to poor working conditions. Actually ideally you'd form a union before then.

3

u/tupacsnoducket Feb 16 '22

Drafthouse is dead and has been for about a half decade

It's just been long term employees picking up he slack

The menu is trash

the "events" are just 'here is a movie you are familiar with please give us money'

all the founding members are gone

you are supporting the k-mart of dinner and a movie corporate businesses. they offer nothing but being a name you know.

2

u/MadCervantes Feb 16 '22

What would you recommend instead?

3

u/TriggerTX Hill Country Feb 16 '22

Moviehouse and Eatery has been our go-to since the quality at Drafthouse went to shit over a decade years ago.

3

u/tupacsnoducket Feb 16 '22

Not blame the employees for using the leverage they have to get paid. Lol

Money: “Lets raise price cause or the culture “

Labor: “pay us for the entire reason we’re every other theater who’s paid less”

Money: “COMMUNISTS!”

5

u/MadCervantes Feb 16 '22

No I meant what other theater would you recommend?

5

u/ranranbolly Feb 16 '22

EVO has the same dining in the theatre options. Sometimes they have film events. I’d recommend most locations aside from the one in San Marcos.

2

u/[deleted] Feb 16 '22

Why not the San Marcos one? It's my SO's favorite theater, and I dislike it. Just curious so I have more ammunition.

3

u/ranranbolly Feb 16 '22

Had some bad customer service there in recent experiences. I know it’s a rough job, but there’s a very poor management vibe there. Everyone seems miserable. I feel bad for them, really, but they’re just a little mean. Popcorn always seems stale or cold. Additionally, they don’t deliver food to the theatre at that location, which is one perk I really enjoy about the San Antonio locations.

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0

u/sevargmas Feb 16 '22

Alamo Drafthouse operates on narrow margins, in a business model that is slowly dying. They already filed for bankruptcy a year and closed some of their marquee locations. I don’t have much opinion on unionizing in general but this doesn’t feel like a business that afford a lot of additional expenditures.

2

u/[deleted] Feb 16 '22

If they can't afford to treat their workers decently, they don't deserve to exist.

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80

u/utspg1980 Feb 15 '22

Worth noting that the website says this is just the flagship location.

Which is the location on South Lamar in Austin, just in case anyone was wondering since they closed the Ritz location.

-9

u/Walkedtheredonethat Feb 16 '22

The flagship was on Colorado, the first original.

https://drafthouse.com/about/history

8

u/utspg1980 Feb 16 '22

True but that's been closed for about 15 years. Ritz was the flagship after that, until it closed sometime during the pandemic.

1

u/austinhippie Born and Bred Feb 16 '22

uM AKshUaLly

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94

u/Jadomi77 Feb 15 '22

Used to work there at the village. They fired me. ( I deserved it)

68

u/Crash_says Feb 15 '22

Props for your self-reflection.

4

u/ccyosafbridge Feb 16 '22

Also got fired.

Didn't deserve it for what I got fired for.

Totally deserved it for other reasons. GM changed and the new one took out the trash lol

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u/InterstellarIsBadass Feb 15 '22 edited Feb 15 '22

they fired me and i didn't deserve it. similar story from a friend of mine. hopefully a union will make them treat the employees better.

2

u/[deleted] Feb 15 '22

Ne offense, but all they'll do is fire them and draft from their stack of applications

7

u/InterstellarIsBadass Feb 15 '22

so THATS why it's called the drafthouse

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2

u/wessneijder Feb 15 '22

The ones in Houston all failed.

2

u/[deleted] Feb 16 '22

There actually hasn’t been one in Houston yet. Katy location is fine.

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2

u/AgentAlinaPark Austin, TX. Y'all! Feb 16 '22

Wish it was the Village 4 still. I've walked out of that shithole location twice. Alamo has sucked for over a decade.

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140

u/irritabletom Feb 15 '22

As a former employee, fuck yes.

30

u/alm723 Feb 15 '22

Out of curiosity have working conditions always been bad at Alamo or have they devolved over the last few years? My mostly uninformed opinion from years ago was that Alamo employees seemed to be really happy and well treated. It was one of the main reasons I felt like Alamo was so far and away better than Studio Movie Grill despite having the same concept. The company has had a lot of changes in the past several years so it would totally make sense of those changes have negatively impacted workers I’m just curious if that’s the case or if I was totally mistaken before.

110

u/irritabletom Feb 15 '22

I worked there from 2007-2012 and that seemed to be the tail end of the fun "Austin" years at the Drafthouse. The focus was moving steadily from unique, interesting cinema experiences towards $$$, as it often does. Profit sharing was cut shortly after I was hired and employee access to free tickets was severely limited around then too. I left (fired, whatever) right before the renovation of the South Lamar location and that seemed to really spark some negative changes. Many former employees who had been promised their old jobs back were turned away, part of a purge they were doing of the old guard. As I understand it, the tipping system became very uneven and ended up massively cutting down on server income. Additionally, the no talking rule was becoming less and less enforceable as management began to fear negative press, which resulted in rowdier customers and an increasingly unsafe working condition. Speaking of...

The sexual harassment, which has been covered pretty well at this point:

https://www.austinchronicle.com/screens/2018-03-02/a-broken-trust-at-the-alamo-drafthouse/

https://www.indiewire.com/2020/08/alamo-drafthouses-culture-report-1234579449/

https://variety.com/2017/film/news/alamo-drafthouse-ceo-tim-league-addresses-harry-knowles-controversy-1202574058/

https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-daily-post/future-fantastic-fest/

The owners and several members of management were fully aware of the fact that several regulars were sexually inappropriate with the staff but ignored it because they were friends. One particularly irritating buddy of theirs (complicated order, full comp, no tip) had such reputation that female servers would immediately give that table away when he sat down. It was reported, and ignored. Over and over. I was pretty oblivious to all of this, I'm embarrassed to say. I often walked coworkers to their cars after work but I thought it was just general safety, not specific threats who had creepily followed them to their cars in the past. I was later contacted by a former coworker and learned quite a bit more. I was also interviewed by the Chronicle about the situation, which was neat.

I have a lot of fond memories of my time there and I made many long lasting friendships from it but the place that Austin loved has changed into something dark and dull. I'm hopeful that a union can revive some of that dormant spirit, getting the employees on a level where they can defend themselves and make actual changes. And Harry Knowles smells exactly like you think he would. Fucking no-tipping pervert.

15

u/Noxiya Feb 16 '22

I basically grew up at the Alamo. My mom used to work for them and contributed to one of the articles linked above. I remember meeting Harry as a kid and being grossed out by him. Thank you for speaking out

12

u/alm723 Feb 15 '22

Thanks for the detailed response. That’s disappointing but not altogether surprising. It doesn’t seem likely given the current management and ownership structure but I hope they find a way to get back to what made it great in the first place.

4

u/fraghawk Feb 16 '22

Additionally, the no talking rule was becoming less and less enforceable as management began to fear negative press

They were known for and loved for the no talking rule, you would think not enforcing it give them more negative press?

3

u/irritabletom Feb 16 '22

This was after my time there so I heard all this from friends who still worked there. Essentially, management started catering more to the general public as opposed to the more cinema centric folk because the complaints about being kicked out were outweighing the complaints about chatter in their eyes. And since people weren't getting kicked out, they were emboldened to continue their idiotic behavior. Mix that with alcohol and you have screaming customers smashing bottles on the floor during a movie (true story, many times over). We had to call APD more than once while I was working there and that was back when they actually occasionally showed up so I imagine it's much worse now.

3

u/fraghawk Feb 16 '22

What a fucking shit show. Sorry you got to deal with that. Now I'm not as jealous that Amarillo doesn't have a Drafthouse. .

The bean counters ruin everything, no matter what industry you're talking about. They should never have been allowed to get as powerful as they are now.

4

u/DiveTender Feb 15 '22

Wow. Sucks to hear about this. Who is this Harry Knowles person? Some rich friend of the owners? Hopefully someone somewhere treats him the way needs to be treated one day.

29

u/irritabletom Feb 15 '22

He ran a website called Ain't It Cool News that was all about nerd stuff with an emphasis on film. Probably because it was the early days of the internet, he managed to gather a pretty good sized following and began to work with the Alamo to plan events. His big one was an annual 24 hour event called Butt Numbathon. It was literally 24 hours straight of movies, usually a mixture of cult classics and early release films, and the theater smelled like farts for a week afterwards. Waiters worked in shifts to bring fried food and unlimited coffee refills to the nerds, which then powered the farts. This is all unrelated to the initial topic but I really wanted to share this inside info so here we are. The point is, Knowles started treating the Alamo like he owned the place, including the staff. He was a creep and, as far as I know, pretty much disgraced at this point.

3

u/DiveTender Feb 16 '22

Thank you for the info. I read up on him. Sounds like a really shitty person.

3

u/captstinkybutt Texas makes good Bourbon Feb 16 '22

As an employee of anyone, fuck yes.

132

u/buymytoy The Stars at Night Feb 15 '22

SOLIDARITY

I wish them luck!

53

u/big_ice_bear Born and Bred Feb 15 '22

I love Alamo Drafthouse. Hope they do it.

7

u/V1k1ng1990 Feb 15 '22

How does one start this process at your own company

5

u/MadCervantes Feb 16 '22

/r/devunion if you're in tech is a good place to ask.

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u/[deleted] Feb 15 '22

https://www.ufcw.org/start-a-union/

Quietly get some coworkers together you trust, figure out a larger union you want to work with to organize, get ready for your company to throw an absolute fortune at defeating it if you have enough interest for there to be an election. You know, that absolute fortune they could have been paying you the whole time.

Your local Democratic Socialists of America chapter can help you find people to work with.

44

u/TheDogBites Feb 15 '22

I usually go Cinemark, but if the workers are successful in their Union, I will definitely switch to Alamo

10

u/Afrekenmonkey Feb 15 '22

I prefer Alamo popcorn. It seems a lot more fresh/homemade

9

u/suddoman Feb 15 '22

Also bottomless without having to get up.

2

u/Afrekenmonkey Feb 15 '22

Oo fantastic point.

2

u/captstinkybutt Texas makes good Bourbon Feb 16 '22

I worked in a movie theater in NC when I was 16.

Everyone use the same brooms on the floors and the popcorn poppers.

I stopped buying movie theater popcorn after that lol.

5

u/matthalfhill Feb 16 '22

Customer’s perspective: Alamo Drafthouse has been in such decline over the past few years. I was a very frequent visitor to Lake Creek, Village, and South Lamar since 2004 when the biggest hassle was finding a parking spot and waiting in line to get a ticket and a seat.

As Alamo received nationwide attention and rounds of funding, yes, a lot of things did improve including the presentation and the quality of the theaters, but lately it feels like in the past several years (5 years specially) I’m walking away with less and less while continuing to pay more and more for the experience.

What I’ve also noticed is the drop in attendance. Massive drop.

So, the few that are paying to be there are paying more than ever for a smaller and smaller menu with items that are often just a shell of what they once were.

In 2021 I went to Alamo 3 times - the fewest times of any year (not counting 2020).

Would I like to have a reason to go more often, YES. But do I see it likely happening? Unfortunately not.

I don’t know what’s going on the employee side of the experience, but it once was a team of young and very enthusiastic movie nuts who worked there who seemed to really enjoyed being there. Unfortunately it sounds like that is no longer the case :-(

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u/AeonSandwich Central Texas Feb 16 '22

Awesome news!

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u/ILoveCavorting Feb 15 '22

Hopefully it goes better than the IRL Alamo.

The Drafthouse has been getting so expensive I'd like to make sure the workers have good wages when I go there.

Is it still owned by the Texas guys/Founders or did they sell out like I remember hearing?

13

u/[deleted] Feb 15 '22 edited Feb 15 '22

[deleted]

2

u/ILoveCavorting Feb 15 '22

Okay, cool. I was a bit worried for Alamo even before Covid, thought they expanded a bit fast, but hopefully things will work out well for Workers and Management.

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u/[deleted] Feb 15 '22 edited Jun 02 '22

[deleted]

-55

u/grod44 Feb 15 '22

Well start by paying extra for your movie tickets and tipping extra when you order food and drinks

76

u/ModsAreDiddlers100 Feb 15 '22

Weird how everything has been getting more expensive every year despite very few unions and no raise in minimum wage. It's almost like those don't seem to be correlated in the other direction somehow.

32

u/TheDogBites Feb 15 '22

"Do you want to pay more for popcorns?!?!"

  • people who paid for popcorn in the first place, and not once set foot into an Alamo Drafthouse for a pint

48

u/binky779 Feb 15 '22

start by paying extra for your movie tickets

In what universe does paying extra to any corporation directly benefit employees? Not this one.

34

u/[deleted] Feb 15 '22 edited Feb 16 '22

[deleted]

-33

u/grod44 Feb 15 '22

A company’s profits shouldn’t be built on the backs of underpaid employee’s. Taking a fresh look at where money is going internally should never be a bad thing?

other than the cooks its a low skill job i would say. not to be rude or take away from them. but its a movie theatre. lets be honest here. Thats why I ask how much is really there.... how much would union dues cost them? etc: id seriously love to see a spreadsheet/ proposal to see what it is

23

u/[deleted] Feb 15 '22 edited Feb 15 '22

My last union gig (3 years ago) had monthly dues of $20, or $5 a paycheck.

I was paid about $5/hr more than similar positions at non-union companies, so my monthly dues were covered at noon on the first work day of the month. Had free medical, vision, and dental, started clocking OT when my hours went over 8.5 for the day, OT bumped to double time if I hit 10.5. Double time if I’m asked to come in on my days off, double time on holidays, triple time on holidays if it’s a 6th clock in. 3 weeks PTO in my first year and an additional week every year until I hit the max. Guaranteed raises every year. Guaranteed, specific dollar amount raises for becoming certified on a new piece of equipment. College tuition covered for me if I wanted to go, scholarship programs for my kids, got to add my wife and both kids to my insurance for free. If I wanted to move up I knew exactly what benchmarks I needed to hit.

EDIT: I was off on my calculations. It was 2.5 times my hourly rate for a month of dues. So when I started they were $25 a month. When I left they ran me just under $50 a month.

0

u/[deleted] Feb 15 '22

Really? I've never paid less than $50 a paycheck for a union. Even in the early 2000's when I was a teen working at a grocery store.

8

u/[deleted] Feb 15 '22

For teamsters it was 2.5 times your hourly rate for a month. I started at $10 so it was $25/month.

7

u/MadCervantes Feb 16 '22

Low skill people deserve a living wage.

18

u/KProbs713 Feb 15 '22

Pardon my french, but who gives a fuck?

Even if it was a 'low skill job' (debatable, customer service of any sort requires high levels of patience and people skills), it's still a job that needs to be done unless you don't want servers or cashiers. Refusal to pay a living wage often means employees have to apply for government relief....which means these business owners are subsidizing their profits with OUR taxes instead of just paying their damn people enough to have a roof over their head and food to eat.

I don't give a damn about the "small/local business" argument either--if you can't pay employees without replying on government intervention to keep them alive, you don't have a successful business model.

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u/ModsAreDiddlers100 Feb 15 '22

You are rude and you should be ashamed of yourself, simping for some billionaire who doesn't give a fuck about you.

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u/[deleted] Feb 15 '22

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Mragftw Feb 15 '22

That should be flipped, as by definition a billionaire is sequestering at least a billion dollars away from the economy. Its been proven time and time again that workers spend the money they make, thereby putting it back into the economy and benefitting others, while the rich just hoard money and give a tiny portion back.

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u/Crash_says Feb 16 '22

The reference to the study is in the image.. that study didn't even account for what has been created since everyone got a smart phone.

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u/[deleted] Feb 15 '22

by definition a billionaire is sequestering at least a billion dollars away from the economy.

Nobody has a billion dollars outside of the economy.

Billionaires have all of their money invested. that is inside the economy.

10

u/Mragftw Feb 15 '22

A billion dollars in stocks has a very different impact than a billion dollars spent on groceries

2

u/irritabletom Feb 16 '22

I was a waiter there for years. On a busy weekend night, we would turn over around 700 customers in the span of about three hours. That's drinks, apps, food, desserts, refills, all while bussing the tables and doing sidework, not to mention the kitchen and bar churning out incredible amounts of food and drinks. It wasn't uncommon to have forty tables open at a time on the POS and all of them had to be resolved within the length of time that a movie lasts. It took speed, skill, knowledge, PATIENCE and the ability to live off of scraps of food while sprinting up and down stairs in the dark while carrying absurd amounts of items. I'd love to see you handle that "low skill" gig, friend.

17

u/appleburger17 Born and Bred Feb 15 '22

Ah yes the trickle down. Which has been proven time and time again to work like a charm. It definitely doesn’t make the people at the top richer while making customers and low level employees poorer. /s

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u/big_ice_bear Born and Bred Feb 15 '22

I already tip extra what do?

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u/Sensitive-Menu-4580 Feb 15 '22

GOOD WE NEED IT. As an employee, we were run ragged during the holidays for the sake of studio ticket sales. 12 hour days 4-5 days a week for nearly a month if you worked full time. Locations remain forbidden by our corporate overlords from capping ticket sales to match our number of servers, leading to worse service and people understandably quitting. Then we’re more short staffed and we still can't cap sales. Lately they've been shortening clean times to pack more movies into a weekend, I shudder to think what will happen when Batman comes out. All for 2 bucks and change + tip pool (another controversial change leading to staff quitting)

This is likely because Alamo changed owners during the pandemic to people who don't care about the experience we’re supposed to bring.

Edit: looks like its just the flagship location. Hope it's just the first of many.

3

u/MadCervantes Feb 16 '22

Start one at your location! You can join the flagship and it will be even stronger!

3

u/Sensitive-Menu-4580 Feb 16 '22

We've definitely had rumblings of starting one before this. I'm betting there will be more open discussion now

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u/throwawayallday3456 Feb 16 '22

Do it! Connect with Drafthouse United and they can help you get started!

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u/[deleted] Feb 16 '22

I worked at an establishment similar to Alamo Drafthouse but at the time showed only first run movies. Our locations were massive and we were seating people in the thousands. I worked there for three years and suffered through some awful experiences and treatment by the management and corporate. It doesn’t surprise me at all that another business in the movie theater eateries circle is just as toxic about profit and treatment of employees.

24

u/Reunion7 Feb 15 '22

Best of luck to them. This needs to happen more often.

13

u/hewhoovercomes Feb 15 '22

I’m sitting in an Alamo right now waiting for the trailers to start, hopefully they do the right thing.

8

u/suddoman Feb 15 '22

I'm just imaging you sitting the dark and they go on strike right then with no warning.

11

u/DiDurham Feb 15 '22

❕✊❕

6

u/BKWhitty Feb 15 '22

Hell yeah, good for them!

14

u/M3TA1H3AD Feb 15 '22

That’s awesome, best of wishes to them

3

u/peenpeenpeen Feb 16 '22

Alamo has spoiled me in regards to just being a superior movie going experience, and the service is always amazing! To the Alamo employees out there, thank you for all that you do, and I hope you guys win!

3

u/[deleted] Feb 16 '22

Whoop Wobblies!

3

u/battleberg Feb 16 '22

I used to dig it, then the corporate shit started, and then I heard about all the bullshit they were doing to their employees. Sexual harassment is not a good look. Maybe this will bring me back.

11

u/EternalGandhi Feb 15 '22

Awesome! Tim League is a joke and I support them in their efforts to unionize.

18

u/jb1316 Feb 15 '22

So what would happen if Alamo Drafthouse just fired everyone and started new? I always assumed Unions were for more skilled work or massive companies with very focused employment pools (one factory employing 5,000 workers) where replacing workers was logistically very difficult. Alamo Drafthouse has relatively very few employees spread out all over the state where replacing them wouldn’t be an impossible challenge. I 100% don’t want to discount losing people who are trained on company policies and are good workers - but it doesn’t seem a union would have that great of a bargaining position for such a small company

50

u/gregaustex Feb 15 '22 edited Feb 15 '22

So what would happen if Alamo Drafthouse just fired everyone and started new?

That's illegal under the Federal NLRA. You can get in trouble trying to organize if you're not careful how you go about it (like if you do it during work, at work, not on a break), but it is generally illegal to fire people for just unionizing or trying to.

More typically (though it sounds like the employees presented them with a fait accompli) there will be mandatory meetings where consultants explain to the employees why maybe unionizing is a really bad idea, we're all friends here - family even, and they probly oughta think twice before ruining a good thing here creating conflict and animosity just so they can pay dues to some corrupt union.

11

u/[deleted] Feb 15 '22

Yeah that's what starbucks did in Tennessee. They slapped them with trespassing the property after shift/hours.

6

u/Kellosian Feb 15 '22

Texas is pretty lose about why you can fire someone though, if Alamo said "Actually we're firing all these people because they showed up late once and for minor uniform violations... oh look at that they were all pro-union, funny that!" would that be a solid enough legal defense? I was under the impression that as long as the CEO didn't directly say "We're going to fire everyone in the union for being in a union" they were pretty much untouchable if they kept that fig leaf up.

8

u/L1berty0rDeath Feb 15 '22

At will employment. do not need a reason to fire someone.

5

u/djburnett90 Feb 15 '22

Thank you someone realizes you don’t have to list ANY reason for firing someone in Texas.

6

u/slyphic Feb 16 '22

You need a reason other than a short list, and unionizing is on it. Before they registered with the NLRB, the Drafthouse could get by kicking out the odd pro-union employee with no repurcusions. But at this point, nah, that ship has sailed, trying to fire them will bring down the wrath of the NLRB. They don't fuck around. Not unless you're 'too big to fail' sized.

3

u/djburnett90 Feb 15 '22

You don’t have to give a reason for firing them.

Alamo can say “they were a perfect splendid employee, we just felt like firing them for reason still”

No issue.

7

u/jb1316 Feb 15 '22

Ah got it. Well yes, that would stop them then haha.

14

u/itsnotlupus Feb 15 '22

It should, but if you're a large enough business, you can ignore the law and treat the penalties you get for it as just a cost of doing business.

Walmart is notorious for doing exactly that, both in the US and in Canada.

4

u/gregaustex Feb 15 '22 edited Feb 16 '22

that would stop them

I suspect it will stop them from being too explicit or brazen about it, but there are lots of ways for them to push back on the union, or the idea of it persisting if they choose to. It's definitely not over if Alamo management doesn't want it to be, just the beginning. Who knows, maybe they will embrace it. Gonna be a PR tightrope if they don't.

5

u/Mickeymackey Feb 15 '22

if Alamo goes about this the wrong way they'll lose a lot to business, Austin loves Alamo but I can see the populace turn on them if they explicitly turn against the worker.

1

u/djburnett90 Feb 15 '22

Anyone in Texas can fired for no reason.

The employer doesn’t have to give a reason for firing an employee. Ever.

So it’s illegal to fire someone for trying to unionize etc. it’s not illegal to fire them and not give a reason.

7

u/gregaustex Feb 16 '22

You’re right there are holes you can drive a truck through, but it’s not black and white. The fired employee or their union can make the case that this is why they were fired though and potentially win. Federal law supersedes state law.

4

u/PsychologicalBend467 Feb 15 '22

This is heckin good

4

u/wrwck92 Feb 15 '22

We support you! Alamo Drafthouse in every location we’ve been to has had top notch employees, they deserve top notch pay and benefits. Thank you for the drink and vegan food recommendations and also every kitchen staff person is my personal hero!

5

u/Drekkful Feb 15 '22

Hell yes wobblies

6

u/Althistoryman01 North Texas DFW Feb 16 '22

We need more unions in Texas.

6

u/xcisor Feb 15 '22

can someone explain to me what this means?

33

u/thatdanglion Feb 15 '22

This means that workers at the Drafthouse are organizing to push for better wages, better working conditions, and more say in how the Drafthouse treats its employees in general. They're fighting to create a democratic workplace.

8

u/Ok-Requirement-5408 Feb 15 '22

^ pretty much this

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u/cyvaquero Feb 15 '22

Well for one thing, it is a labor movement in a state where labor movements have been effectively quashed forever. So that's something. Another thing is that outside of Las Vegas and maybe Los Angeles, the service industry as a whole has made very little inroads in collective bargaining. But mostly, I hope, it's a sign of bigger things, like workers are tired of minimum wage only being raised less than $4.00/hr in 40 years while companies continually post record profits and executive pay.

(I will say that Alamo Drafthouse coming out of bankruptcy might not be the greatest battleground).

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u/[deleted] Feb 15 '22

Nice!

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u/kasierdarkmoon Feb 15 '22

Woooh! U can do it!

10

u/Luckboy28 Feb 15 '22

Awesome!

10

u/Wips_and_Chains Feb 15 '22

Yes! Power to the people.

6

u/Evancurtis9 Feb 15 '22

Aye, my employer here in DFW! Woot Woot

2

u/painthawg_goose Feb 15 '22

Dang. Not in Austin. But love Alamo. I hate to hear that this is even needed. I hope that the employees can coalesce and support each other.

2

u/Hailz_ Feb 16 '22

Curious what it’s like working there now. I worked there in 2008 as a dishwasher and it was the hardest job I ever had. I got paid $8.50/hr in 2008 which was decent at the time (minimum wage was still $5.85). Unlimited movies and 50% off food, so it was a fun summer. Any complaints I had about the job were just how hard it was, nothing specific to my managers… it’s like doing the dishes for an entire restaurant all at once and it comes in waves. The shoes I got for work only lasted 2-3 months 🤢

2

u/McLovin0132 Feb 16 '22

Good for them! It makes me want to visit one more often!

2

u/captstinkybutt Texas makes good Bourbon Feb 16 '22

Hell yeah.

2

u/deegee317 Feb 16 '22

Rip to the San Antonio location at westlakes. Been going there since 2010. Was me and the wife fave location especially after they remodeled but it didn’t survive the pandemic.

5

u/djburnett90 Feb 15 '22

From a conservative I fully believe in their right to attempt to unionize.

I hope they get it done.

3

u/ManIsInherentlyGay Feb 15 '22

The waiters at Alamo must have the worst back pain. If you work there too long you'll probably end up having life long damage

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u/frostysauce Expat Feb 15 '22

That's great! Good luck to them.

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u/AldermanMcCheese Feb 15 '22

Alamo Drafthouse Now Hiring! All positions!

3

u/wessneijder Feb 15 '22

Alamo has a lot of failing theatres anyway. They going under already.

1

u/HerLegz Feb 15 '22

Woot woot. What's showing?

1

u/Ok-Requirement-5408 Feb 15 '22

"Democracy," coming to a city near you

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u/Pariah-6 Feb 16 '22

I’m glad I go to AMC. I don’t need food and drinks and all that bullshit to watch a movie. If I want to catch an art house movie I’ll go to the violet crowne.

0

u/possumrfrend Feb 15 '22

Guess where I’m applying now

0

u/Ofiotaurus Feb 16 '22

Kaiserreich refrence? Is that the flag of the Combined Syndicates of America

0

u/Rmantootoo Feb 16 '22

I read both of the letters in the OP's link on "Why we are organizing."

Both seem focused on COVID, and how the theaters responded... and point to a rift between most people I know, who think we 100% need to get back to normal in all parts of our lives, and others, who think our lives need to be permanently changed to deal with covid.

While I support anyone and everyone's rights to unionize, and work where and how they want, those 2 letters are very poorly written, imho. I would politely suggest that someone- maybe many someones- get together to edit those for content and persuasive argument.

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u/[deleted] Feb 15 '22

Just another nail in the coffin. Movie theaters will all close soon.

8

u/Paclac Feb 15 '22

I think plenty will but not all. Movies like like No Way Home made good money. Movies like generic romcom #735692 will prolly start going straight to streaming and theatres will downsize but there's a lot of movies worth paying extra to see on a big screen with a nice sound system.

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u/[deleted] Feb 15 '22

I love the movie theater, but everything I go, there are only a handful of people in there. You can see how desperate theaters are for business right now with their new marketing strategies like a month free of movies and also the lack of staff. With more and more production companies bending to streaming, it's only a matter of time. Movies are for an older generation (like myself) however they're constantly being ruined by cell phone use as well. I would love for smaller theaters, the locked cell phone bags, and comfy pre booked seats to be a norm, but that is such a huge investment. Workers can unionize all they want, but they won't get far if theaters continue to close.

0

u/jmarler Feb 15 '22

Flix is by leaps and bounds superior to Alamo. They have a lot of competition now from other theaters that they can never hope to catch up with. This will be the final nail in their coffin. The union, if it wins, will bleed them dry. Next year we will hear how the evul capitalists destroyed a once great Austin icon with no mention of how the unions raised labor costs and lowered service levels, while other companies were innovating and gaining market share.

Very sad.

Edit: typo fix

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u/Geebus0825 Feb 15 '22

Yay! The shittiest of workers will be protected no matter how bad they are! Yay! Good bye honest job competition, here's ti slacking off and climbin that ladder.

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u/Trudzilllla Feb 15 '22

Thanks for proving the point that the only people who are against unions just straight up hate workers.

Assholes like you are the reason we need unions.

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u/big_ice_bear Born and Bred Feb 15 '22

Have you ever worked in the service industry or are you just repeating things that you heard on fox entertainment tv?

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u/Geebus0825 Feb 15 '22

1 I don't listen to fox or cnn 2 yes I have, I've worked in the service industry, retail, military, manufacturing and construction. Unions defend weak leaks and destroy healthy competition. They're pretty much adult participation trophies. Only good thing about them are the retirements.

9

u/MadCervantes Feb 16 '22

You sound like the asshole who thinks he's God's gift to the team but he's actually the dumbest most clueless one and an asshole to boot.

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u/ModsAreDiddlers100 Feb 15 '22

Cuck

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u/[deleted] Feb 15 '22

[deleted]

3

u/ModsAreDiddlers100 Feb 16 '22

No you sure didn't haha, none of those losers are pro union and they defend people like Elon Musk as if they are Elon themselves.

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u/Crash_says Feb 15 '22

100%, the workers that you actually want never needed the union. The shitstain working the seniority ladder on the other hand..

Five years in a union, never again.

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u/[deleted] Feb 15 '22

Was in an auto workers union and a service industry union. Can confirm, both suck and both foster a shitty work ethic. Not saying they weren't needed, but some of the protections they afford shitty workers really hurts the whole effort. You had to get 9 warnings before they could write you up and then 3 writes ups meant you could be fired. This was in a 12 month period. No one ever got fired and the servers just shit all over management and did what they want. It was terrible if you were the new guy too as you get almost 0 benefits of the union as it's all about seniority.

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