San Diego, CA – Kaman’s Art Shoppes employees who create caricatures, letter brush art, and body art for guests at the San Diego Zoo have voted overwhelmingly to join in union with IATSE Local 122, with a decisive 93% YES vote (27–2). The bargaining unit will cover 30 workers across classifications including body artists, caricature artists, letter brush artists, and their respective supervisors.
Organizing began in May 2025, and workers secured their union victory on September 11, 2025, despite an anti-union campaign by the employer that included emails, one-on-one conversations, and a visit from the company’s CEO, who flew in from Ohio to discourage unionization.
“Everyone deserves a union, whether it’s a stagehand, a rigger, or a body artist—we all deserve to have a voice on the job,” said Taylor Resenbeck, IATSE Local 122 Business Agent.
“I never thought this could happen. Hopefully it inspires other locations to do the same thing,” added Grace Kennedy, Body Artist.
As they head into first contract negotiations, workers are seeking higher pay beyond minimum wage, fairer scheduling, and the return of commission alongside wages. They also want to end strict timers and quotas that undermine their artistry, and access to paid time off, which they currently lack.
This victory marks the first successful union win for Kaman’s Art Shoppes, which operates 62 locations across the country. Live event workers looking to join together to win better workplaces can head to iatse.net/join to contact an IATSE organizer.
