Recreational Workers Industrial Union 630

By Judith Scherr - Berkeley Daily Planet, May 30, 2006

Workers at the downtown Shattuck Cinemas, owned by Landmark Theaters, who earn just above minimum wage with no health benefits, will have their say about whether they form a union.

The National Labor Relations Board has scheduled a vote for June 16, according to Harjit Singh Gill, organizer for the Industrial Workers of the World.

Twenty-two of the 28 workers petitioned the NLRB for the election.

Winning the vote “means the workers will be able to sit down at the negotiating table and make demands," Gill said, noting that the right to form a union is just the beginning and that negotiating a contract will be the hard part.

The only other unionized Landmarks Theater is Kendell Square, in Cambridge, Mass. The workers there have been in negotiations since July, Gill said.

In addition to fair wages, Gill said the workers want a contract with a grievance procedure, which they do not have now. Landmarks Theaters did not return requests for comment.

By Dean Dempsey, special to iww.org - May 12, 2006 

Landmark Shattuck Cinema workers are fed up. Years of bad hours, poor pay, a hostile work environment and the demoralizing treatment from theater management has led the Cinema workers of Berkeley, CA, to push for a union; for the One Big Union of the Industrial Workers of the World.

At 4pm on May 12, 2006, approximately 80 Wobblies and supporters gathered in what some hailed as one of the largest IWW gatherings in recent Bay Area history, next to the May Day contingent earlier this month. Theater workers, union organizers and locals from the community attended the rally to demonstrate their solidarity for the union effort, carrying signs that read “An injury to one is an injury to all”, and “Union Now”. A drum team kept the crowd enthused, as they sang union songs and recited pro-worker chants to the public. Some Cinema employees were still on the clock, but were very much committed to participate in the rally while on their breaks, wearing their IWW pins and showing support for the union. Shattuck Cinema organizer, Harjit Gill, says “I think what we see here today is a great success. There has been the participation of IWW members from the past and the present, and those who haven’t been recently active. Ultimately, we’re very excited about this campaign.”

BERKELEY 8:30AM-- This morning workers at Landmark Shattuck Cinemas turned in authorization cards to the National Labor Relations Board, filing a certification petition for representation with the Industrial Workers of the World. Rising tensions at the Shattuck Cinemas over the year have pushed workers to demand an end to unfair working conditions and greater accountability from management.

“We're only asking for work conditions that are reasonable and humane. Management needs to start listening to our concerns and valuing its workers. We need our voice to be heard. It's time we had a union!” says Lauren Grady, cinema employee age 25.

23 out of 28 workers have signed authorization cards, the last straw in a long debate with management. Primary worker concerns include the recent revoking of worker privileges, lack of management accountability, inconsistent raise policies, inadequate breaks, all contributing to the increasingly hostile work environment at the Shattuck cinemas. Further source of tension lies in a worker wage cap at over three dollars less than the city standard.

“We treat moviegoers with the utmost dignity and respect, and we expect our employers to grant us the same courtesy,” says Nick Hubbard.

Shattuck cinema workers' discontent with Landmark corporate policy has grown over time, especially since its purchase by Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks. Landmark is a well-known art-house chain with a long established reputation for supporting progressive film. Whether management continues to uphold its progressive values is yet to be seen.