Local
Winchester Mystery House guides stage one-day walkout over pay, benefits and image use
San Jose tour guides represented by Teamsters Local 856 walked off the job Oct. 24, alleging the privately owned attraction has not bargained in good faith. Workers are seeking improvements to wages and benefits, limits on tour-group size, and a say in how their images are used in marketing.
Tour guides at San Jose’s Winchester Mystery House staged a one-day unfair labor practice strike Saturday, Oct. 24, as negotiations over their first union contract continued.
Teamsters Local 856 said the workers walked out because management had not bargained in good faith. The union said it has been negotiating with the attraction for more than a year, after guides organized last year.
The guides are seeking higher wages, improved health care and longevity benefits, and a cap on tour-group size. They also object to what the union says is management’s refusal to negotiate over the use of workers’ images and likenesses in promotional materials.
“When the tour guides organized last year, they knew this was going to be a battle with management,” union negotiator Veronica Diaz said in a statement. She said the union aims to secure a strong first contract.
The walkout came one week before Halloween, ahead of special seasonal programs at the Victorian Gothic mansion, which is known for its winding layout, secret passages and architectural oddities. The house has 160 rooms and 47 staircases.
The home belonged to Sarah Winchester, heir to the Winchester rifle fortune. Construction began in 1884 and continued for 38 years, according to the National Park Service. The property is now privately owned by Winchester Investments LLC, based in Minneapolis, according to Dun & Bradstreet.