Congratulations to the knights, jesters, squires, and stablehands of Medieval Times who have voted to join the American Guild of Variety artists! After a battle with management, the actors prevailed. Unions raise wages, fight inequality, help protect workers, and promote democracy.
The vote marks the end to a nearly four-month journey for performers at Buena Park to unionize due to delays caused by company management, she said.
"The company really used the time to sow the seeds of discord, create a divide within the bargaining unit, and so based off the way things were going and the people we were talking to, even though we started with a super majority of the bargaining unit, there was considerable attrition or at least so it seemed throughout the process," Zapcic said.
Buena Park performers petitioned for a union election on July 22 following the vote at the New Jersey location in July, she said. The Medieval Times has 10 locations across North America, including Atlanta, Ga, Chicago, Il, and Toronto, Ontario.
Medieval Times delayed the union election date by contesting that only Knights and Squires should be allowed in the union, excluding the show cast and stables department, according to Medieval Times Performers United Californiaon Aug. 18. Medieval Times argued that knights and squires do not share a "community of interest" with the show cast and stablehands.
Medieval Times did not respond to a request for comment.
