Medieval Times workers strike
Newly unionized staff calls wages and safety subpar; company says the show will go on
Medieval Times workers launched an unfair labor practice strike Saturday, alleging management has given substantial pay hikes to employees at other castles while their wages remain low amid unsafe work conditions.
The group of about 50 performers and stable hands walked off the job and began picketing after their first performance Saturday, forcing the Buena Park dinner theater to cobble together the two remaining shows by pulling in employees from other departments.
The workers voted in November to join the American Guild of Variety Artists but say management has consistently blocked their efforts to secure a “living wage” and improved safety measures.
They filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board against the company late last year.
An additional 150 retail workers, bartenders, event staff and adminitrative employees at the Buena Park castle are not members of the union.
Susanne K. Doris, the union's executive secretary-treasurer, said the strike was launched after management blocked the employees' Facebook and TikTok pages and filed a trademark infringement lawsuit for their use of the company logo.
The workers had been using the social media platforms to get their message out. They're seeking to have the lawsuit dismissed since they aren't benefiting by selling products or services connected with the logo.
“Medieval Times have their own social media posts where they're saying how talented their cast is,” said Erin Zapcic, who portrays a queen in the shows. “So we posted, `If we're so talented, why aren't you paying us a living wage?' ”
Attorney Daniel J. Sobol, who represents Medieval Times, said union members opted to strike after only two meetings with union representatives.
“While we respect their right to do so, the rest of our castle teams — union and nonunion — have come together to keep the shows going,” Sobol said in a statement. “We have a team of original Medieval Times knights and squires in place, and we look forward to hosting our guests at our already scheduled performances.”
Zapcic said the company is also flying in performers from other castles to help fill staffing gaps. Meanwhile, the workers are picketing the Buena Park location.
Dallas-based Medieval Times operates 10 castle dinner theaters, with additional locations in Lyndhurst, New Jersey; Dallas; Atlanta; Baltimore; Chicago; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Orlando, Florida; Scottsdale, Arizona; and Toronto.
The unionization in Buena Park came on the heels of another union victory last year at Medieival Times' Lyndhurst castle, where the workers also secured American Guild of Variety Artists membership.
Doris said both locations have suffered retaliation.
“After the New Jersey location voted to become part of the union, Medieval Times gave a $1-an-hour raise to employees at every castle except New Jersey,” she said. “And after Buena Park unionized, management started giving knights a 25% raise, while others in the show cast got a 15% to 20% raise. That happened at every castle except Buena Park and New Jersey.”
Zapcic, who has worked at Medieval Times for 12 years, said she earns $21.50 an hour, while performers at Disneyland make $30 an hour or more doing the same kind of work.
“We have knights who make $18.50 an hour, and they're falling off of horses,” she said. “A similar performer at Disneyland makes $33 an hour for 15-minute shows with breaks in between.”
Performers say injuries are a reality at Medieval Times.
Jake Bowman, cast as a knight in the performances, fractured a thumb last year when an opponent's sword came down on his hand. And Zapcic fell from her horse in 2021 just as she entered the tunnel that brought her onstage.
Julia McCurdie, who also plays a queen at Medieval Times, has witnessed some of the injuries.
“I've seen a lot of knights get carried away in an ambulance,” she said. “These people could go work at In-N-Out and make $25 without hurting their bodies.”
Doris didn't indicate what kind of pay hikes the union might ask for but said it plans to negotiate a fair collective bargaining agreement that ensures wages are “commensurate with skills,” while also improving safety measures.
Zapcic didn't know how long the strike might last but said the employees have already generated several thousand dollars through a GoFundMe page to help workers get by during the walkout.