Photography by: Brandon Johnson (@bjohnsonxar)
Audio By Carbonatix
Late last month, audio engineers who work at the Federal Theatre, the Oriental Theater, and HQ Denver voted to unionize despite the venue owners’ request to turn down the organizing effort.
Keegan McKenzie, an engineer who supported the union-shop proposal in conjunction with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees‘ area affiliate, IATSE Local 7, sees the results as a win-win situation. “I think everybody getting together and taking stock in the workplace will make things better for all of us,” he says.
Scott Happel, co-owner and partner of the Federal (3830 Federal Blvd.), the Oriental (4335 W. 44th Ave.) and HQ Denver (60 S. Broadway), along with Carnivale De Sensuale and Berkeley Bodega, is considerably less confident. A statement provided to Westword notes in part that “the vote did pass at all three venues. Beyond that, I don’t really know anything, as the union has yet to reach out to start collective bargaining.” However, he adds that “overall, the venues cannot agree to anything that would be financially harmful.”
McKenzie wants to avoid worst-case scenarios, too. “Our intention is not to shut these places down or run them out of business,” he stresses. “We all want to work. We all care about the music scene.”
Like many audio engineers in the area, McKenzie plies his trade at multiple stages in greater Denver, including the Marquis Theater and Summit Music Hall, whose employees chose to unionize in June 2024. Hill Probasco, the IATSE Local 7 organizing coordinator who served as a liaison to the folks at the Federal, Oriental and HQ, cites the influence of the Marquis/Summit election. “I think if that didn’t happen, it wouldn’t have led to the latest vote,” he allows.
The impetus for the union push at the Federal, Oriental and HQ dates to this spring, McKenzie contends. He points out that “generally for a theater, you have an engineer running the front of the house” to maintain sound quality for the audience “and a monitor engineer who helps manage the stage” to ensure the performers can hear everything clearly. But in April, he continues, owners “sent out an email that said they weren’t going to be staffing two engineers for shows. Some of us got taken off the schedule for gigs already booked with them. So we sort of lost our agency to negotiate things.”
Staffers subsequently reached out to IATSE Local 7, which collected enough authorization cards to trigger a vote under a process dictated by the National Labor Relations Board. An election was scheduled for June 30, and in the weeks prior, the ownership group circulated a letter warning about the possible negative repercussions of unionization. An excerpt from the missive directed at HQ engineers reads:
“While we don’t know what would end up in a collective bargaining agreement between the Company and the Union, collective bargaining agreements often include provisions such as the following:
- Zero tolerance for drug and alcohol use, including prohibitions on the use of marijuana and alcohol;
- Scheduling that requires pre-set start and end times, including mandates for employees to work the shifts they are scheduled;
- Management rights to schedule based on the venue’s needs;
- Preapproval for shift changes/swaps;
- Set break and meal periods; and
- Formalized disciplinary processes, including holding all individuals equally accountable.”
The letter urged the engineers to “please get informed. Once informed, we think you will agree that this is not in your best interest or the best interest of HQ. VOTE NO.”
These admonitions didn’t have the desired effect. “The vote was pretty overwhelmingly in favor of unionizing, with high turnout among employees,” Probasco says.
What’s next? Happel isn’t sure. But he emphasizes that “we were already paying our engineers a higher wage than other major venues in town, so it is unclear what the union demands will be and what may change, if anything.”
Money isn’t top of mind for McKenzie. “We feel pretty okay with the pay itself,” he confirms — although he hopes future wages will cover union dues and offer healthcare options. But to him, “this is more about not having proper staffing. That’s ultimately where we want to get to, and that will lead to a better experience for everyone — the band and the people who are showing up.”
No firm date has been set for creating a bargaining unit and starting negotiations on a new contract at the Federal, Oriental and HQ. But IATSE Local 7’s Probasco believes unionization for venue employees is gaining momentum in the Mile High. According to him, “I think the ball is going to keep rolling.”
