Austin Alamo Drafthouse Staff Demand Voluntary Recognition
Chris Garlock | Published on 4/1/2025
Workers at an Alamo Drafthouse location in Austin, Texas, have announced their efforts to join the UAW
following sudden company-wide layoffs at the beginning of the year.
Staff are organizing under SlaughterHouse United—a nod to the theater being located on Slaughter Lane—in order to improve deteriorating working conditions at the Sony Pictures Entertainment-owned company. Core issues for workers include low wages that don’t keep up with the cost of living in Austin, lack of a voice on the job and recent layoffs that robbed affected staff of hard-earned paid time off. This is the second Alamo location in the city to organize a union.
“This decision was not one reached lightly by our membership but it is one that Sony and Alamo leadership have left us no choice but to take,” said SlaughterHouse United members in a letter announcing their organizing efforts. “But, in the interest of ‘Fostering Community’ we have opted to ‘Boldy Go’ and save the Slaughter Lane venue from Sony and Michael Kusterman's best efforts to ruin this cherished brand. This may not be ‘the Sony Way’ but it is the only one that will ensure our venue is a sustainable place to work and the best damn place to see a movie in Austin.”
AFL-CIO Daily Brief