On Friday afternoon, members of the SIFF Cinema Workers Union walked out before a sold-out matinee showing of Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated “The Odyssey” on 70mm at SIFF Cinema Downtown.
The 3 p.m. screening was not canceled. The walkout is planned to continue through tonight’s 7 p.m. screening of “The Odyssey” — also sold out — though SIFF management said that screening will also go on as scheduled.
In an emailed statement on behalf of SCWU, union chair Adrienne Tippins said that 13 union workers walked out of their scheduled shifts from all SIFF venues around 2 p.m. Friday, and that more members who were not scheduled also showed up to the walkout. Tippins added that the walkout will continue through Saturday, spanning two days’ showings of “The Odyssey.”
Jeanne Nickelsburg, SIFF’s director of advancement, said the cinema intends to continue operating even if the walkout continues. She said SIFF management was notified Friday morning about the union’s plan to walk out.
Late Thursday night, SCWU posted on Instagram that it had voted to authorize collective action following union negotiations, where they claimed SIFF engaged in bad-faith bargaining practices, including intentional delays and refusing “reasonable” information requests.
This alleged behavior, Tippins said, has delayed the ratification of their second contract. Their first contract expired in April.
“This continuing delay denies our members any improvements in wages, benefits and protections as bargaining is prolonged,” the email from Tippins said.
The union has filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, according to SCWU’s Instagram post.
SIFF management emailed a statement saying it has “consistently come to the table in good faith, providing multiple proposals and negotiating on every point brought forward by the Union.”
SIFF said it “welcomes” the review by the NLRB, as they are “confident that they will find it baseless.”
The decision to walk out falls on the opening weekend of one of the most eagerly anticipated movies of the year, with Nolan’s newest epic already grossing $17.6 million across the nation just from Thursday previews, on track toward $50 million for its opening night Friday.
SIFF management said in its email that, in order to not “disappoint ticket buyers,” nonunion staff will fill in shifts for the opening weekend of “The Odyssey.” Several Saturday screenings of other movies have been canceled due to the walkout, including Saturday’s 1:30 p.m. showing of “Maddie’s Secret,” the 1:45 showing of “The Invite” and the 2:15 showing of “Gail Daughtry.”
“We apologize to our patrons for the inconvenience, we will reach out to them directly and provide them with vouchers for other screenings,” the SIFF email said. “We are deeply saddened that (the) Union chose this moment to walk out but we will continue to prioritize the audiences at our theaters.”
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