National Labor Relations Board takes Casa Bonita to court Dec. 7 over alleged bargaining violations

The National Labor Relations Board will present evidence against Casa Bonita in court on Dec. 7. The board alleges the Lakewood restaurant refused to bargain in good faith during 18 months of negotiations with its performers' union.

The complaint includes retaliatory actions against members of the bargaining unit, such as alleged illegal firings and changes to work conditions, and refusals to provide bargaining information to the union, according to Andrea Hoeschen, general counsel for Actors' Equity Association. The union represents Casa Bonita's entertainers, including actors, puppeteers and divers.

"On the surface, Casa Bonita has claimed that it's willing to take steps to protect the entertainers," Hoeschen said. "In fact, they haven't taken any steps, and even the steps that we've agreed at the bargaining table (that) make sense, they haven't implemented because we don't have a contract yet."

Casa Bonita, the large pink restaurant on Colfax Avenue, employs hundreds of servers, bartenders and entertainers.

The union filed an initial unfair labor practices complaint with the NLRB last year after Casa Bonita cut more than 1,000 hours from workers. Performers staged a strike outside the restaurant on Oct. 30, 2025.

Additional charges remain under investigation by the board, including alleged surface bargaining, Hoeschen said.