“We make Disneyland the place for family vacations, birthdays and celebrations. We create the profits of our theme parks and the magic seen throughout our resorts. But instead of rewarding our hard work and dedication, Disney is intimidating, surveilling and illegally disciplining our members, undermining our ability to negotiate and win the contract we deserve,” the negotiating committee said in a statement Friday. “The overwhelming unfair labor practice strike authorization vote sends a clear message to the company: we are stronger together, not divided by intimidation tactics.”
The decision doesn’t necessarily mean that cast members will go on strike, but it does give union leaders the power to do so if Disney doesn’t reach a new contract. The union hopes the vote will increase pressure on the company after a rally earlier this week at the resort’s entrance, where members held signs with slogans like “Mickey will want his fair share!”
Disney Workers Rising said the union plans to meet with the company again on Monday and Tuesday, adding that “strikes will always be a last resort.”
“We deeply appreciate the vital role our Cast Members play in creating memorable experiences for our Guests,” Disneyland said in a statement. statement“And we remain committed to reaching an agreement that focuses on what matters most to them while positioning Disneyland Resort for growth and job creation.”
The company added that authorizing a strike “is not unusual as part of the negotiation process” and said Disneyland Resort “continues to welcome guests.”
Gavin Doyle, founder of Theme Park-centric Media MickeyVisit.comDisney Workers Rising and Disneyland said they expect to avoid strikes or disruptions to guests because Disney needs the support of cast members and the local community to continue its growth plans.
Doyle said an announcement about the theme park is expected at next month’s D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in Anaheim, California. The City Council’s approval of the Disneyland Forward Development Plan in May gave Disney the green light to build and renovate attractions, restaurants, retail and hotel space on the site. The company announced last year Increase investment Disney plans to boost theme park revenue to about $60 billion over the next decade. Workers are seeking a living wage under the next three-year contract, and Doyle said Disney theme park enthusiasts are on the company’s side.
“Cast Members are an essential part of the Disney theme park experience,” he said, “and we all want them to be fairly compensated for the work they do to provide our guests with a great vacation.”
Hundreds of union members rallied outside the entrance to Disneyland Resort on Wednesday, the park’s 69th anniversary, calling for higher wages and incentives for longtime employees.
They included Cynthia Carranza, a night-shift cleaner at Disneyland, who said management has intimidated workers by cutting their hours or forcing them to teach other employees how to do their jobs, instilling fear that they will be replaced.
She said she enjoyed her job keeping the grounds tidy before visitors arrived, but her hourly wage of just over $20 had forced her out of her apartment.
Carranza said she worked three jobs and lived in her car with her puppies from July to November 2022. To get to Disney, she would park at one of her part-time jobs and carpool with another cast member, with the sound of cars driving on the nearby freeway drowning out the sounds of her dogs barking, she said, adding that she used the showers and feminine products in the costume building.
Carranza now shares a studio apartment with her boyfriend, but the problems of being overworked and underpaid remain. “We are the people who make the magic of the park,” she said. “We’re willing to do whatever it takes to extend our contract, to be respected, to earn a livable wage, and to be valued.”
A Disneyland strike would be “devastating” for the company and the entire theme park industry, said Dennis Spiegel, founder and CEO of global consulting firm International Theme Park Services. During the last Disneyland strike, which lasted 22 days in 1984, Mr. Spiegel said department heads walked out of the office and ran rides.
Spiegel said if work stopped this year, Disney would be short more than 14,000 cast members for the peak summer season, disrupting millions of visitor, hotel and flight reservations.
“I’m sure everyone within the Disney organization is looking at ways to do everything they can to get around this issue,” he said.
Disney Workers United, also known as the Master Service Council, represents Local 324 of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 83 of the Bakery, Confectionery and Tobacco Workers Union and Grain Mill Workers Union, Service Employees International Union-West Chapter of the United Service Workers, and Local 495 of the Teamsters.
The union, which represents a range of workers from cleaners and ride drivers to candy makers and merchandise sellers, began negotiating in April over contract issues, including wages and attendance rules. Among Disney employees surveyed this year, 28% reported food insecurity and one-third reported experiencing housing insecurity.
The contract for Disneyland Park expired last month, and the contracts for Disney California Adventure Park and Downtown Disney expire on September 30th. The union has since accused Disney of mistreating more than 675 members, alleging that they were “threatened, surveilled and disciplined for wearing union badges in support of the union contract campaign.”
This article has been updated.
