OAKLAND, CA – Wardrobe workers at West Edge Opera in Oakland, CA, have ratified their first collective bargaining agreement with Theatrical Wardrobe Union (TWU) Local 784. All three members of the unit signed union authorization cards last summer, and West Edge Opera management subsequently agreed to voluntarily recognize the union without the need for an election.
West Edge Opera is a Bay Area company presenting an annual summer festival of three operas each August at the historic Oakland Scottish Rite Center, a 1,400-seat performance space originally built in 1926 to host Scottish Rite Masonic ceremonies.
The union campaign began in the summer of 2025, when the wardrobe crew working on “Dolores,” a new opera commissioned by West Edge Opera to celebrate the life of labor leader Dolores Huerta and her work with the United Farm Workers, reached out to Local 784 about representation. West Edge Opera agreed to voluntarily recognize the union in November 2025. Formal negotiations began on March 3, 2026, and the membership unanimously ratified their first contract in June.
The contract delivers significant gains for the group, including pension and annuity contributions as well as health and welfare benefits.
Theater workers looking to join together to win better workplaces can head to iatse.net/join to contact an IATSE organizer.
