Over a dozen Audio Engineers at three of Denver’s most prominent independent music venues have voted overwhelmingly to join the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 7. Workers at The Oriental Theater, The Federal Theatre, and HQ Denver each cast their ballots separately, delivering decisive majorities across all three venues.
Workers first reached out to a Local 7 organizer about unionizing the venues following staffing changes at the properties. A majority of authorization cards were collected in early May 2026, and the successful votes followed on June 30th.
“The live music industry has long left its crews behind. Unstable conditions, little to no benefits, and wages that fall well short of what a skilled workforce deserves,” said Local 7 President Bryant Preston. “We look forward to sitting down with the employer and getting to work on the issues these workers face every day on the job.”
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