The stagehands, costume and set designers, electricians, audio engineers, and other production staffers at Shakespeare Theatre Company voted to unionize Monday, the result of an organizing effort that began years ago and intensified amid allegations of unfair labor practices during the pandemic.

The theater company’s employees voted 23 in favor and 6 against, with a mix of in-person and mailed-in ballots counted by the National Labor Relations Board. The group is represented by IATSE Local 22, the local stagehands union.

The theater’s management has a week to raise raise any objections to the election results, though it’s unlikely that will happen, says says Nicholas Arancibia, chair of Local 22’s organizing committee. The organizers did not ask for STC to voluntarily recognize their unit, which is what prompted the vote.

“There is a significant amount of rejoicing and happiness from all the folks who have been communicating with me,” Arancibia says. “I’m sure there’s a few who are less than thrilled. But, I mean, clearly, the majority is in favor of unionization.”

The group is happy to move on to the next steps of forming a negotiating committee and coming up with a contract proposal, Arancibia adds. The unit comprises members who work in a wide range of crafts, so he expects the proposal will be lengthy in order to represent all their concerns.

In a statement, Shakespeare Theatre’s leadership team said it respects the right of its employees to join unions and looks forward to the collective bargaining negotiations.

“STC is confident that IATSE will join us in maintaining the high standards for which the Theatre has been recognized,” the statement continued.

When the stagehands announced they were unionizing, staff members cited unsafe conditions that crew members were forced to perform under during some performances of the Britney Spears-inspired musical Once Upon A One More Time. They added that the company has not increased pay rates to match other regional theater companies or to account for inflation and rising living costs in the D.C. area.

At the time, the theater pushed back on the accusations of unsafe practices, saying a stage management team has kept the productions in line with all necessary health and safety precautions during the pandemic. The theater also says its minimum salary for full-time staff — $20.50 per hour — is higher than D.C.’s current minimum wage of $16.10, and that staff layoffs were painful decisions they had to make when funds ran out while the theater shut down in 2020.

In June, Chris Jennings, Shakespeare Theatre’s executive director, indicated that the company was preparing to work with the union.

“The pandemic has not been kind to theaters, but we wouldn’t be where we are without our hardworking production team,” Jennings said in a statement at the time. “With a spirit of transparency, we are dedicated to continuing this conversation and addressing their concerns to bring us all toward a better STC. This is their vote, their voice. We’re here to listen and work together.”

Arancibia says he’s excited to see an increase in unionization efforts among local backstage workers. Signature Theater’s technicians joined IATSE last spring, but historically, only big-name venues like the Kennedy Center and Wolf Trap have had representation.

Dates for the union’s contract negotiations with Shakespeare’s management have not yet been announced.

This story has been updated with a statement from Shakespeare Theatre Company’s leadership.