Union workers with the immersive arts and entertainment company Meow Wolf walked off site at the Grapevine Mills mall Friday at 5 p.m., kicking off a planned three-day strike over Halloween weekend.
This is an escalation of tactics following an informational picket staged earlier this month. Workers told KERA during the event that they’re seeking higher wages as the company is in the process of expanding to new locations in Los Angeles and New York City.
Daniel “Moony” Joseph serves as strike captain. He is a security officer at Meow Wolf.
Joseph told KERA the strike is being held in response to “unfair labor practices” and “bad faith bargaining that they have brought to the table in relation to fair wages.”
“Soon after our informational picket, we decided to go ahead and put the last, best and final offer that was presented to us to a vote,” Joseph said. “It was voted on by the unit 100% to vote the contract down.”
A Meow Wolf spokesperson said in a statement emailed to KERA that the company believes their offer “to be a fair and competitive package, recognizing the valuable contributions of our employees, while also ensuring the long-term financial health and sustainability of our business.”
The statement noted that the Grapevine exhibition will remain open through the weekend. It reads, “We remain dedicated to our mission, inspiring creativity through immersive art experiences, play, and exploration.”
Alexis Stewart is a member of the bargaining committee and a guest services worker.
She said she feels a blend of anticipation, nervousness and excitement going into the strike.
“I think we're going to accomplish a lot. I think it's going to be worth the hassle, but it is still definitely very scary and unknown,” Stewart said.
Stewart said the union has “conceded time and time again,” and that they’ve “hit the bottom” of what they’re willing to accept when it comes to wages.
Joseph outlined expected disruptions to staffing, security and customers’ ability to ask questions or buy tickets in person this weekend. He said he hopes the action shows that workers believe the contract put to a vote was unfair.
“We will not stop fighting until we are all equal across the company from exhibit to exhibit, from position to position,” Joseph said. “We are all the same people who deserve the same quality of living.”
According to information from the Communications Workers of America, through which the Meow Wolf Workers Collective is organized, the National Labor Relations Board has investigated charges in over a dozen separate cases against Meow Wolf since 2021 for “unlawfully changing working conditions without bargaining, ignoring lawful information requests, interfering with workers’ right to union representation and retaliating against pro-union employees.”
Got a tip? Email Andy Lusk at alusk@kera.org.
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