Seventy employees from two Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas in New York City were laid off on Monday, including 40 from the Downtown Brooklyn location.
Current and ex-employees were aghast and reeling from the layoffs.
“I was just panicked the whole time,” said Ariana Fatalia, a bartender who was let go from the Brooklyn location. Fatalia said the company had announced their intent for layoffs on Jan. 14, but her co-workers tried to reassure themselves that they would be spared.
Fatalia also said she was surprised to receive an email that said her health benefits had been taken away as of Jan. 31, prior to the Monday firing.
Anthony Squitre, an Alamo staffer and union member of NYC Alamo United who was not laid off, said the company failed to prove financial necessity for the layoffs and that the union has filed an unfair labor practice charge against them.
Alamo indicated they were dismissing staff because they were expecting lower revenue later this year, according to Squitre. “They tried to offer us data that proved that, and every piece of data they showed us completely countered their proof,” said Squitre.
“Their reasoning is utterly unsatisfactory and ridiculous,” said Orion Macias, a laid off guest attendant at the Brooklyn theater, who spoke to BK Reader via text. “Alamo and especially Sony, refuse to share any financial evidence of being able to pay their workforce.”
Corporate Alamo employees were let go on Jan. 14, Variety reported.
Sony Pictures Entertainment, which acquired the cinema group in June 2024, did not comment on the matter and instead referred BK Reader to an Alamo spokesperson, who did not reply at press time.
Squitre said the union was in the process of contract negotiations with Alamo prior to the layoffs, and it was illegal of the company to do this, claiming it violates good faith bargaining.
“A lot of our demands are pretty boilerplate for what a job should give you,” said Squitre, adding that work shifts are often inconsistent.
Some demands from Alamo workers include increased health and safety practices and adding additional staff. Squitre, who’s worked as a server at the theater for four years, said he’s found mold and exposed fiberglass in parts of the theater.
“In Brooklyn we at least have one security guard at night, but there’s never any in the morning,” said Squitre. “I understand that typically, mornings are less busy, but that doesn’t mean that people don’t still come and act crazy to our staff and threaten them physically and sexually.”
An independent mutual aid group was created on Tuesday to provide support for laid off workers.
“It’s a really stupid business decision that already is impacting the quality of service in this theater, and all of the Alamos that got cut across the country,” said William Bobrowski, vice president of United Auto Workers Local 2179, representing the Alamo union. “Hopefully they’ll see the light."
