Denver, CO — Over a dozen Audio Engineers at three of Denver’s most prominent independent music venues have voted overwhelmingly to join the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 7. Workers at The Oriental Theater, The Federal Theatre, and HQ Denver each cast their ballots separately, delivering decisive majorities across all three venues.
The results were as follows:
The Federal Theatre: 11 Yes, 2 No
The Oriental Theater: 5 Yes, 1 No
HQ Denver: 5 Yes, 1 No
(Some workers were eligible to vote in more than one election)
The three venues share common ownership and together represent a significant presence in Denver’s independent rock and roll market, operating outside the Live Nation and AEG ecosystem that dominates much of the city’s entertainment landscape. The Federal Theatre, which had sat vacant for several years, reopened last year as a music venue, making this organizing victory part of its new chapter.
Workers first reached out to a Local 7 organizer about unionizing the venues following staffing changes at the properties. A majority of authorization cards were collected in early May 2026, and the successful votes followed on June 30th.
“The live music industry has long left its crews behind. Unstable conditions, little to no benefits, and wages that fall well short of what a skilled workforce deserves,” said Local 7 President Bryant Preston. “We look forward to sitting down with the employer and getting to work on the issues these workers face every day on the job.”
Live event workers looking to join together to win better workplaces can head to iatse.net/join to contact an IATSE organizer.
