Staff at City Winery in Philadelphia Vote to Join IATSE

Production staff at City Winery's Philadelphia location have officially voted to join the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 8. The new bargaining unit will cover production employees as well as 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-member crew first approached Local 8 in May 2025 to initiate their organizing efforts. Their successful election adds to a series of organizing wins for the city, following successful efforts at The Fillmore Philadelphia, TLA, The Met, Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia, The Queen, and World Cafe Live.

"The workers at City Winery Philadelphia have shown what's possible when people come together for fairness and respect on the job," says 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," says audio engineer Andy Neral. For more information, iatse.net/join.