Casa Bonita Performers Strike Over Contract in Lakewood

About 80 performers at Lakewood’s Casa Bonita — including cliff divers, actors, puppeteers and magicians represented by Actors’ Equity — announced a strike and will picket during the restaurant’s Halloween events Oct. 30–Nov. 1, with pickets starting at 11 a.m. The performers say many earn about $21 an hour and are seeking a living wage of roughly $30 an hour; they say management’s most recent offer amounted to an 11-cent raise (or under $1 over two years) and refused to meaningfully consider their proposals. Negotiations began in April after a November 2024 vote to unionize, and the union has filed an unfair labor practice complaint accusing management of cutting more than 1,000 hours from schedules and raising safety concerns after alleged guest incidents. Actors’ Equity president Brooke Shields publicly criticized owners Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who spent about $40 million renovating the restaurant, while Casa Bonita has declined to comment on ongoing talks. The union invited supporters to join picket lines and said performers will withhold shows during the listed dates if no deal is reached.