Philadelphia, PA – Production staff at City Winery’s Philadelphia location have officially voted to join the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 8, further strengthening the growing movement of live event workers organizing across the city. The new bargaining unit will cover production employees as well audio engineers at the venue.
City Winery was founded in 2008 and has since grown into a national brand with venues in nine cities across seven states. Philadelphia’s location opened in 2020, combining a live music and comedy venue with a winery, restaurant, and private event venue.
The five-worker crew first approached Local 8 in May 2025 to begin organizing efforts. Their successful election adds to a series of organizing wins for Philadelphia’s live event workers, who have unionized at venues including The Fillmore Philadelphia, TLA, The Met, Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia, The Queen, and World Café Live. Together, these efforts highlight the strength of worker solidarity across the city’s vibrant entertainment industry.
“The workers at City Winery Philadelphia have shown what’s possible when people come together for fairness and respect on the job,” said Dan Little, IATSE International Representative. “Their vote is a powerful step forward not only for Local 8, but for every worker in this city’s live event community who deserves a voice. This win shows that solidarity works, and it strengthens the foundation for future organizing across Philadelphia and the country.”
“Having union representation means we’ll be able to use our collective strength to bargain and attain the benefits and employee protections we have been lacking this whole time. We look forward to working with City Winery to achieve employee status for all of the production staff,” said Andy Neral, Audio Engineer.
This vote marks an important victory for IATSE and Philadelphia’s live entertainment community, demonstrating the continued momentum of workers organizing for dignity, respect, and fair treatment on the job. Workers looking to join together to win better workplaces can head to iatse.net/join to contact an IATSE organizer.
