The Alamo Drafthouse Workers Won

After two months on strike, NYC Alamo United workers at the Alamo Drafthouse Downtown Brooklyn and Manhattan locations declared victory on Monday and voted to return to work after Alamo's parent company, Sony, finally agreed to the union's demands. Alamo United workers sprang into action in February, days after Sony laid off a total of 70 workers from the two locations, citing a "post-holiday dip" in movie attendance. The union filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the National Labor Relations Board and then voted to strike, causing both locations to cancel screenings and to scale food service down from full meals and drinks to soda and candy.

Over the course of 58 days, organizers say that Sony felt that loss of manpower keenly enough to cave to the union's demands and offer all 70 laid-off workers their old positions back. "Two months ago, when they laid everyone off, they said, 'Feel free to reapply,'" Alamo United bargaining team member Anthony Squitire told Hell Gate. "Last month, they were willing to concede with an offer to keep [the laid-off workers] on a list for nine months, with a promise, like, 'If we need anybody, we'll call them first.' As of two months on strike, they conceded to every person getting their job back—back on payroll by the end of the month, with their original hire date and seniority restored," a win critical to ensuring that any rehired workers keep their accrued benefits.