SIFF Cinema Downtown workers walk out before ‘The Odyssey’ showings
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 in Seattle, WA.
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 would continue through Saturday, spanning two days’ showings of “The Odyssey.”
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.
Read more.