2023 Medieval Times strike

Over the next several months, the strikers held a picket line in the parking lot outside of the location and engaged in sporadic discussions with company management.

[2][3] The theaters host daily dinner shows that last for two hours and feature actors portraying medieval stock characters, such as knights and squires, participating in jousting and sword fighting, among other scripted games of skill.

[2] Additionally, employees have stated that lower staffing levels caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have led to reduced security at performances.

[2] Additionally, the employees leading the union drive said that Perico Montaner, the company's founder and chief executive officer, had met with them to privately discuss the issues they were raising.

[6] On July 15, in an election overseen by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the Lyndhurst workers voted 26 to 11 in favor of organizing,[7][8] becoming the first unionized workforce at Medieval Times.

[12][5] The union responded by filing an unfair labor practice charge with the NLRB, calling the company's actions "unlawful thuggery".

[5] In addition to the strikers, several non-union employees in other departments picketed in solidarity with the performers,[15] and an inflatable rat was set up in the parking lot.

[15] In May, United States senators Cory Booker and Bob Menendez of New Jersey wrote a letter to Medieval Times urging the company to negotiate in good faith with the two unionized locations.

[21] Additionally, a significant number of the location's bargaining unit members had remained at work, opting to not participate in the strike.

[25] On November 30, the editorial board of the San Gabriel Valley Tribune published an opinion piece stating that one employee at the Buena Park location had filed a petition with the NLRB, with the assistance of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation (NRTW), requesting that the AGVA be removed as the collective bargaining agent for the Medieval Times workers.

[28] Speaking of the backlash, NRTW president Mark Nix commented that "AGVA union officials treated each Medieval Times castle as their own personal fiefdom, but their actions led to an uprising of the rank-and-file they purported to represent".