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Within a prestigious cultural institution, the rebellious reputation and working-class image of technicians—especially stage hands—is the subject of a long-lasting struggle. This article particularly questions how the logics of (dis)qualification depend upon institutional, union, and managerial routines. On the one hand, this symbolic universe enables the reaffirmation of a collective sense of pride and dignity and maintains practical logics of politicization and contestation in the face of an institutional order tinged with class contempt. On the other hand, while these representations can legitimize a “class struggle”-based trade unionism among subaltern staff, they are also stigmatized by the management of the institution as reflecting a systematic, traditional, and outdated opposition. This symbolic disqualification is reinforced in the negotiation meetings, which are codified by “labor relations” policies. The material configuration of these meetings contributes to framing, restricting, or disqualifying the claims made by these heterodox trade unionists. In contrast to the stated “horizontality” between “social partners,” these mechanisms mainly contribute to maintaining both institutional and social order, and send technicians back to their subaltern position.