Mediation agreement presents path forward for labor and management
Lakewood, Colorado – The halls of the Pink Palace will once again echo with the splashes of divers and the laughter of delighted children as the performers of Casa Bonita return to work following a three-day strike. These workers have been walking a picket line since Oct. 30 in response to management’s failure to deliver meaningful wage proposals in bargaining.
The entertainers, who include cliff divers, magicians, puppeteers and actors, are represented by Actors' Equity Association, the union that also represents more than 51,000 professional performers and stage managers working in live theatre across the country. Casa Bonita is a Mexican theme restaurant that has become a venerable Denver institution, which recently underwent a $40 million renovation bankrolled by owners Trey Parker and Matt Stone of South Park fame.
"We have an official agreement to engage in mediation, which presents a real opportunity for productive movement toward a contract," said lead negotiator Andrea Hoeschen, assistant executive director and general counsel for Actors' Equity Association. "With that in place, we offered an unconditional return to work, effective Sunday, which ends the strike."
"We never wanted to strike to begin with, but Casa Bonita management forced our hand," said Sam Bishop, a puppeteer at Casa Bonita who serves on the negotiating team. "We can't wait to return to work so we can resume bringing our guests the unique experience they expect and deserve from their visits. Walking the picket line for the last three days has driven home just how much the community appreciates us – and how much we appreciate them. I know all my coworkers join me in offering a huge thank you to everyone who has supported us – fellow Equity members, other unions, local businesses, area politicians, Casa Bonita patrons and the greater Denver community."
Equity and Casa Bonita management have been in negotiations since April 2025. The performers unanimously voted to unionize in November 2024, and unanimously reaffirmed their commitment to the union with their labor peace vote on August 14, 2025. In September, the union filed an Unfair Labor Practices charge against Casa Bonita when the restaurant illegally cut more than 1,000 hours from the workers without engaging in bargaining. Since then, Casa Bonita has added insult to injury by doubling down on an unfair wage proposal and refusing to respond to demands around performer safety. Last week, the workers delivered a petition to management urging them to accept the contract that is currently on the table.
Management at Casa Bonita faces a rapidly unionizing workforce. In the last year, IATSE has organized arcade workers and crew, and they are preparing for an upcoming election for 150+ servers, bussers, front-of-house and guest service workers that has been delayed by the federal government shutdown).
For additional information, please follow Casa Bonita United (@casabonitaunited) and Actors' Equity Association (@actorsequity) on Instagram.
ACTORS' EQUITY ASSOCIATION, founded in 1913, is the U.S. labor union that represents more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers. Equity endeavors to advance the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits (health and pension included). Member: AFL-CIO, FIA. www.actorsequity.org #EquityWorks
November 1, 2025
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