Months-long Medieval Times Strike Unites Performers in Support
On February 11, 2023 the members of Medieval Times Performers United in Buena Park, California walked out of their workplace following months of stalled negotiations on their first collective bargaining agreement and a persistent campaign of union busting actions by management. Since that time the unionized showcast, knights, and squires have remained picketing in front of the castle where they formally entertained crowds of patrons.
For those who don’t know, Medieval Times is a family dinner theater featuring staged medieval-style games, sword-fighting, and jousting. Based out of Irving, Texas the company operates castles in 10 locations across the US and Canada with estimated 2022 revenue over $135.3 million. The Buena Park castle in particular is a revenue stream for the company as the castle frequently puts on 40-65 shows per month depending on the time of year (but still nearly twice as many shows as other locations).
At stake in this strike are improved safety conditions for performers who are frequently injured in the shows which provide the lifeblood of the company; an end to horse training practices which cause injuries to the horses and risk the safety of the performers who work with these horses; a stronger voice in workplace disputes where sexual harassment complaints have largely gone ignored in the best case and have been retaliated against in the worst; and increased pay and staffing levels.
Castle management has responded by flying performers in from other Medieval Times locations across the country (and in one unsuccessful instance Canada), boarding them in a hotel across the street from the Buena Park location, and paying them an extra stipend on top of their wages. Walking the picket, one will notice crosswalks from the parking lot which have been painted black to match the asphalt and below the Medieval Times sign there are hurriedly planted flowers where one can still see blades of grass poking through the mulch. The crosswalks have been painted to stop picketers from stalling incoming traffic, following a well publicized incident where an impatient patron decided their entertainment for the night was more important than worker safety by proceeding to shove one picketer into a bush and then attempting to run others down with their car. The flowers were planted a few weeks later to prevent the picket from demonstrating under the “Now Hiring” slide on the digital sign.
These are only the physical forms of retaliation to which the striking performers have been subjected. One response which picketers often hear when telling a customer not to cross the picket line and to request a refund is, “I didn’t know, they didn’t say anything when I bought the ticket”. This is due to the hundreds of pro-union comments which management continues to delete from their social media pages and a trademark infringement lawsuit which led to the popular MT United TikTok to be deleted by the social media company. This is beside the fact that the company continues to offer non-unionized workers a 20% pay increase while low balling the striking workers at the negotiation table.
Despite all of this, the picketers have remained resolute. They have been joined on the line by local Communication Workers of America, Teamsters, and local DSA chapters. The Orange County DSA chapter has been particularly active in supporting the strike through donations to the strike fund, dropping off food and water for those on the line, inviting strike captains to speak at their General Meetings, and sending members directly to the line to hold signs, request refunds, and shame more than a few of the scab knights making their way to the castle. If you would like to learn more, sign up for updates, or donate to the strike fund you can do so here.
