Alamo Drafthouse Workers Strike at Austin Flagship Theater

Alamo Drafthouse employees at the iconic South Lamar location in Austin staged a walkout over the weekend, leading to canceled screenings and disrupted service for moviegoers. The protest, which employees referred to as a "sickout," was aimed at drawing attention to overwhelming working conditions, low staffing, and stagnant pay.

The strike comes less than a year after the Austin-founded theater chain was acquired by Sony Pictures Experiences and follows corporate layoffs that cut more than a dozen positions earlier this year.

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Major Austin Theater Sees 70% of Staff Walk Off

Roughly 70% of the workforce at the South Lamar location participated in the sickout, according to a Reddit post shared by employees. In it, workers warned potential patrons to cancel or reschedule their tickets, saying they were "guaranteed to get poor service if you get service at all."

Employees claimed they were being forced to manage multiple theaters simultaneously, checking tickets, running food and drinks, and handling customer needs, due to what they described as extreme understaffing.

The post also referenced recent layoffs, alleging that earlier cuts affected nearly a quarter of the company and worsened the strain on remaining workers.

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Workers Claim Pay Hasn’t Increased in Over a Year

In addition to staffing concerns, employees said wages have remained flat for at least 18 months despite increasing workloads. The strike highlights growing tension over compensation and transparency at one of Texas’s most well-known cinema chains.

A major point of contention is Alamo’s 18% service fee, a model introduced in place of traditional tipping. According to employees, that fee does not go to the hourly workers but is instead funneled into subsidizing other Alamo locations across the country.

“Apparently our service fees have been getting used to subsidize other Alamos... so we don’t get compensated for working extra hard,” the anonymous post read.

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Alamo Drafthouse Continues Operations Despite Labor Unrest

Despite the strike, a representative for Alamo Drafthouse confirmed the South Lamar location remains open and operating under normal hours. It's unclear whether management plans to respond directly to the concerns raised by staff or if further actions are being considered.

With over 40 locations nationwide, 18 of them in Texas, Alamo Drafthouse has long been celebrated for combining food, drinks, and film in a curated moviegoing experience. But recent developments suggest the worker experience may not match the polished exterior seen on screen.

This story was first reported by MySanAntonio.com.