As ticket sales are announced, Boulder community calls on Sundance Film Festival to stand with workers at the festival’s HQ hotel
BOULDER, CO—Today workers from the Hotel Boulderado, along with allies, marched and rallied in downtown Boulder to call on Sundance Film Festival to stand with workers ahead of tickets beginning to go on sale October 5.
On July 1 workers publicly called for a fair process to decide on a union and are now calling on Sundance to support them. Sundance has announced the Hotel Boulderado will be the festival’s headquarters during its trademark January event but has thus far been silent on the matter, leading workers to ask, “would Sundance cross a picket line?”
Workers began with a picket outside the Hotel Boulderado to advertise the hotel as non-union. Joined by supporters from CU Boulder, community and labor groups, then marched along Pearl Street through downtown Boulder with signs that read: “Sundance: Respect Boulder.” At the rally, they distributed lawn signs with the same message to Boulder residents as the groundswell of support grows.
“We are honored that with the Sundance Film Festival coming to Boulder this year, the historic Hotel Boulderado was selected as festival headquarters. As hospitality workers, making people feel welcome is important to us. So we’re asking Sundance to communicate to hotel management that they stand with us in our demand for a fair process to decide on unionization, free of management pressure tactics,” said Birdie Smart, Front Office Supervisor, Hotel Boulderado.
The Hotel Boulderado is owned by Nashville’s AJ Capital Partners—a private equity firm with $5.9 billion in assets. Instead of agreeing to a fair process, the worker’s employer, Schulte Hospitality Group, has brought in anti-union consultants who have been at the hotel meeting with workers in groups and one-on-one for more than eight weeks.
UNITE HERE Local 23, the union backing the workers, has filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board alleging the company interfered with employees’ labor rights after they went public with their organizing effort. The charge remains under investigation by the NLRB.
Hotel Boulderado workers and UNITE HERE previously reached out to Sundance to make it aware of the labor dispute. Elected officials including the Boulder City Council and Mayor, State Senators Amabile, Wallace, Marchman, and State Representatives Brown, Joseph, McCormick, and Smith have sent letters to AJ Capital about the upcoming festival expressing support of workers’ demands.
“Boulder workers are talking about wages that aren’t keeping up with the cost of living, heavy workloads, and stressful understaffing. They are asking for a fair process to decide on a union, not the moon. Workers are excited to welcome the Sundance Film Festival to the hotel and are asking the organization to stand with them. Workers are wondering, would Sundance actually cross a picket line?” said Willy Gonzalez, Secretary-Treasurer of UNITE HERE Local 23.
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UNITE HERE Local 23 is the union of food service and hotel workers in Colorado. We represent hospitality workers at hotels, event venues, cafeterias, and at the airport including at the Colorado Convention Center, the Westin Airport; the Hyatt-Denver Convention Center; Google, Coors Field, Denver Coliseum, Mile High Stadium, and Ball Arena; and at food and beverage outlets and lounges at the Denver Airport. UNITE HERE Local 23 represents 3000 people in Colorado and is growing. UNITE HERE Local 23 represents 28,000 total hospitality workers in Georgia, Mississippi, Charlotte, Nashville, DC, Boise, Indiana, Colorado, New Orleans, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Virginia.
Contact: Kimmon Williams, [email protected], 571-451-6307
Community Marches through Boulder to Call on Sundance to Support Hotel Boulderado Workers
As ticket sales are announced, Boulder community calls on Sundance Film Festival to stand with workers at the festival’s HQ hotel
On July 1 workers publicly called for a fair process to decide on a union and are now calling on Sundance to support them. Sundance has announced the Hotel Boulderado will be the festival’s headquarters during its trademark January event but has thus far been silent on the matter, leading workers to ask, “would Sundance cross a picket line?”
Workers began with a picket outside the Hotel Boulderado to advertise the hotel as non-union. Joined by supporters from CU Boulder, community and labor groups, then marched along Pearl Street through downtown Boulder with signs that read: “Sundance: Respect Boulder.” At the rally, they distributed lawn signs with the same message to Boulder residents as the groundswell of support grows.
“We are honored that with the Sundance Film Festival coming to Boulder this year, the historic Hotel Boulderado was selected as festival headquarters. As hospitality workers, making people feel welcome is important to us. So we’re asking Sundance to communicate to hotel management that they stand with us in our demand for a fair process to decide on unionization, free of management pressure tactics,” said Birdie Smart, Front Office Supervisor, Hotel Boulderado.
The Hotel Boulderado is owned by Nashville’s AJ Capital Partners—a private equity firm with $5.9 billion in assets. Instead of agreeing to a fair process, the worker’s employer, Schulte Hospitality Group, has brought in anti-union consultants who have been at the hotel meeting with workers in groups and one-on-one for more than eight weeks.
UNITE HERE Local 23, the union backing the workers, has filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board alleging the company interfered with employees’ labor rights after they went public with their organizing effort. The charge remains under investigation by the NLRB.
Hotel Boulderado workers and UNITE HERE previously reached out to Sundance to make it aware of the labor dispute. Elected officials including the Boulder City Council and Mayor, State Senators Amabile, Wallace, Marchman, and State Representatives Brown, Joseph, McCormick, and Smith have sent letters to AJ Capital about the upcoming festival expressing support of workers’ demands.
“Boulder workers are talking about wages that aren’t keeping up with the cost of living, heavy workloads, and stressful understaffing. They are asking for a fair process to decide on a union, not the moon. Workers are excited to welcome the Sundance Film Festival to the hotel and are asking the organization to stand with them. Workers are wondering, would Sundance actually cross a picket line?” said Willy Gonzalez, Secretary-Treasurer of UNITE HERE Local 23.
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UNITE HERE Local 23 is the union of food service and hotel workers in Colorado. We represent hospitality workers at hotels, event venues, cafeterias, and at the airport including at the Colorado Convention Center, the Westin Airport; the Hyatt-Denver Convention Center; Google, Coors Field, Denver Coliseum, Mile High Stadium, and Ball Arena; and at food and beverage outlets and lounges at the Denver Airport. UNITE HERE Local 23 represents 3000 people in Colorado and is growing. UNITE HERE Local 23 represents 28,000 total hospitality workers in Georgia, Mississippi, Charlotte, Nashville, DC, Boise, Indiana, Colorado, New Orleans, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Virginia.
Contact: Kimmon Williams, [email protected], 571-451-6307
Workers at the Hotel Boulderado Ask Sundance Film Festival to Stand with Them
As labor dispute continues at hotel slated to be Festival headquarters, workers are reaching out to Sundance to ask: “will you support us?”
BOULDER, CO—Workers at the Hotel Boulderado went public on July 1 with their demand for a fair process to decide on a union and began picketing. Management hasn’t responded and has instead brought in anti-union consultants. On July 29, Sundance Film Festival announced that festival headquarters will be the Hotel Boulderado.
The Hotel Boulderado, a historic 160-room property in downtown Boulder, has been an iconic community landmark since 1906, and will now be Sundance’s Film Festival headquarters from January 21–31, 2027. Located just steps from the heart of Pearl Street, around the corner from the Boulder Theater, and near the Canyon Theater – festival organizers note that all venues are within a 2-mile radius.
“This matters to me because this hotel and the people in it are incredible. I really care about the people I work with. They should be able to work and live well, not be completely overworked and miserable. I want to be able to feel that I’m treated fairly for the work and the care that I put in, because I love this place,” said Birdie Smart, Front Desk Supervisor, Hotel Boulderado.
The Hotel Boulderado was bought by Nashville-based private equity group, AJ Capital Partners, in 2024, and is managed by Schulte Hospitality Group. It is due to become a Graduate by Hilton Hotel. AJC Partners, Hilton, and Graduate Hotels have yet to respond to the workers.
Front desk staff, housekeepers, food service staff—are all squeezed by both the rapidly rising cost of living and understaffing. As hotel workers fight to have a voice on these issues, they hope Sundance will support them and their community.
The hotel brought in anti-union consultants who have been speaking with workers one-on-one and in groups for more than 8 weeks. In 2025, a well-known anti-union consultant earned at least $429,181 for his various projects around the country while a housekeeper in Boulder makes $21.80/hr.
Workers are reaching out to Sundance Film Festival to ask it to use its influence to support them by asking AJ Capital Partners and the hotel to hear and resolve their demand for a fair process ahead of the festival.
“Hotel workers are an often-invisible force making things happen behind the scenes and are a key part of successful events. Workers at the Hotel Boulderado are simply asking for a fair process to decide on a union, free of intimidation and retaliation. Workers have been leafleting and picketing to make their voices heard. We hope Sundance Film Festival will support the workers who are opening the doors of their workplace to the Festival,” said Gwen Mills, International President of UNITE HERE.
Workers are planning a march and rally around Labor Day where they intend to deepen grassroots efforts to get Sundance’s attention.
Contact: Kimmon Williams, [email protected], 571-451-6307
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AP News: “UNITE HERE Launches GraduateFails.org About AJ Capital Partners and Graduate by Hilton Hotels”
Boulderado Reporting Lab: “Boulder City Council backs off tipped-wage change after yearlong fight”
Boulderado Reporting Lab: “Hotel Boulderado workers launch union drive, citing layoffs and cuts under new ownership”
Boulderado Reporting Lab: “Hotel Boulderado workers launch union drive, citing layoffs and cuts under new ownership”