Nearly 70 employees at Meow Wolf’s Houston location have announced their intention to unionize with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 7055, joining the Meow Wolf Workers Collective (MWWC-CWA). The organizing committee has asked Meow Wolf management for voluntary recognition after a majority of eligible staff signed union authorization cards.
“We are so excited and proud to be joining our fellow employees at the other Meow Wolf locations in forming a union. Me and my fellow organizing committee members have been working hard to get to this point, and it’s been a labor of love over the past few months,” said Marleigh Flowers, organizing committee member and bartender at Meow Wolf Houston’s Radio Tave. “We want to have a seat at the table when decisions that impact our day-to-day lives are being made and to be able to voice the concerns and issues that are important to us.”
The proposed bargaining unit would include bartenders, servers, cooks, retail workers, guest services, tech staff, art and scenic teams, facilities personnel, events workers, and security employees at Radio Tave. If successful in their efforts, they will become the fifth group of Meow Wolf employees to form a union. Other locations where workers have organized include Santa Fe; Denver; Las Vegas; and Grapevine.
“We strongly believe that all workers with a right to form a union under the National Labor Relations Act should have easy access to that right,” said Meow Wolf Workers Collective-CWA Local 7055 President Matthew Rosvold. “We ask that Meow Wolf’s executive leadership voluntarily recognize the Houston chapter without delay or obstruction so that they can work together to collaboratively improve the workplace. When we work together, we build worlds.”
Earlier this year in Las Vegas, Meow Wolf workers ratified their first union contract which brought gains such as improved wages, changes in shift bidding processes, expanded holiday leave options, just cause protections for discipline or termination decisions, and an option for voluntary separation from employment. Meanwhile in Grapevine, Texas—where contract negotiations have lasted 11 months—workers launched a Strike and Defense Fund designed to help cover living expenses like rent or food during ongoing talks.
“We know the road ahead is tough, but we will not accept a contract shaped by Texas’s anti-worker law and rhetoric,” said Alexis Stewart of MWWC-CWA Local 7055’s bargaining committee who works as Guest Services staff at The Real Unreal in Grapevine. “We’re excited to welcome our sister site, Radio Tave, into the union, and we will stand together to challenge a status quo that disenfranchises workers across the state.”
Meow Wolf began as an artist collective focused on immersive arts experiences. For some employees involved in this effort today’s union drive reflects those origins by emphasizing collaboration among creative professionals.
“The workers at Meow Wolf’s Radio Tave location in Houston are carrying forward a momentum that has already brought change to Meow Wolf workplaces across the country,” said CWA District 7 Vice President Susie McAllister. “By standing together, they’re ensuring that the company lives up to its founding values and that the people who bring its art to life are treated with the fairness, dignity, and respect they deserve.”
The Campaign to Organize Digital Employees (CODE-CWA), which is part of CWA (https://cwa-union.org/), supports worker-organizers throughout North America aiming for greater voice within tech-related industries.
