Workers at 'South Park' creators' restaurant go on strike over 'unfair' practices
Published in Business News
Workers at the quirky Denver-area restaurant owned by “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are officially on strike.
All 57 union workers — made up of divers, magicians, puppeteers and other performers who entertain guests at the kitschy Casa Bonita eatery in Lakewood, Colo. — hit the picket line on Thursday after contract negotiations with restaurant management broke down.
According to the Actors’ Equity Association, which represents the performers, they’re fighting for better pay, safety measures and other benefits that lead to more “sustainable working conditions.”
“Casa management came to the table today offering an additional 11 cents over their last unfair wage offer, and very little for future layoff protections,” lead bargain committee member Andrea Hoeschen said Wednesday about the failed negotiations, which began in April after members voted to unionize last November.
“Despite that insult, the negotiating team responded with major compromises to try to get a deal. And then Casa Bonita walked away from the table without responding,” Hoeschen added.
“We know they can pay the wages we’re asking for because they already pay basically the same wages to the servers and bartenders,” the statement claimed. “Their insistence on paying DOLLARS an hour less to the performers reflects a choice and a philosophy to devalue performers.”
The union, known as Casa Bonita United, filed an unfair labor practices charge last month after the restaurant allegedly “cut more than 1,000 hours of work from our members’ scheduling” to accommodate a Halloween pop-up event for the entire month of October.
The union claimed the move “violated the law requiring management to bargain with the union over making changes to working conditions during ongoing contract bargaining.”
Even Actors’ Equity President Brooke Shields called out the billionaire owners on behalf of the union.
“It’s just not respectful to the performers who put their all into making Casa Bonita the one-of-a-kind destination that it is,” the model and actress said in a video shared on Instagram last week.
The labor action is expected to continue through Saturday, though the eatery plans to keep business going despite the strike, offering customers a free drink or arcade ticket as a consolation prize, according to the Denver Post.
Colorado natives Parker and Stone — whose combined net worth is estimated to be around $2.4 billion — bought and renovated the restaurant in 2021 for $40 million in attempt to save the pink-colored landmark.
The Mexican-themed venue, which opened in 1974, was previously featured in a 2003 episode of “South Park.” It was also showcased in 2024’s Paramount+ documentary film “Casa Bonita Mi Amor!”
Neither have publicly commented on the strike, though a spokesperson for the restaurant said in a statement to the Denver Post that its management values “all of our team members and their well-being.”
“As a policy we do not comment on ongoing labor negotiations,” they said.
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