Winchester Mystery House tour guides walk off for a one-day strike
Guides represented by Teamsters Local 856 struck Saturday, alleging management tried to get image waivers directly instead of bargaining.
By the Bay Area Brief staff · Edited by Seamus McKenna · · 2 min read
San Jose and Silicon Valley seen from the eastern foothills. Photo: Tom Pavel / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (cropped, resized and color-graded). Archive photo of the area; not a photo of the events in this story.
Tour guides at San Jose's Winchester Mystery House staged a one-day strike Saturday, accusing management of unfair labor practices.
Why it matters: The guides, who unionized with Teamsters Local 856 in 2025, are still negotiating a first contract at one of the South Bay's best-known attractions during its busy Halloween season.
What's in dispute
Workers say management asked guides directly to sign image and likeness waivers rather than bargaining over them with the union, NBC Bay Area reports.
They are seeking better wages, health care, longevity benefits and caps on tour group sizes.
Guide Emma Garcia Jones and lead negotiator Veronica Diaz spoke for the workers. Management did not respond to requests for comment, KTVU reports.
The 160-room Victorian mansion covers about 24,000 square feet and has 47 stairways.
Sources
This article is an original summary based on the following reporting. We encourage readers to visit the original sources for full coverage.
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