Actors, stunt performers, and entertainers working at Casa Bonita are trying to form a union under the Actors’ Equity Association and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.
Casa Bonita, the iconic pink restaurant in Lakewood, reopened in May 2023 after being purchased by Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the creators of hit television comedy South Park, which featured the location in a 2003 episode, lending to its notoriety in Colorado.
During its renovation, the restaurant began hiring hundreds and revamped its menu to lure customers back to the local fixture. The move cost the South Park creators $40 million.
The restaurant functions like a pseudo-amusement park. While eating meals, guests can watch live entertainment like magicians, puppeteers, and cliff divers.
Casa Bonita’s entertainment workers told The Hollywood Reporter that they’re looking to form a union to establish better safety standards at work, fair wages, and greater benefits.
“We believe a strong union contract could help us solve the challenges we’ve encountered around safety, scheduling, compensation and communication,” the workers leading the effort said in a statement. “Having a document that clearly sets shared expectations – and the mechanisms to enforce those expectations – will strengthen Casa Bonita and enable us to provide the best possible experience for our guests.”
The workers have filed two petitions with the National Labor Relations Board. The petitions listed a total of 78 employees, which include both full- and part-time workers. The union asked for voluntary recognition from Casa Bonita, however, the request was declined, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Filing the petitions is only one step in a process that could eventually lead to a vote by workers on whether to unionize.
