Disneyland workers vote to allow potential strike

“We make Disneyland a place for family vacations, birthdays and celebrations. We make the money from the theme parks and the magic you find throughout the resort. But instead of rewarding our hard work and dedication, Disney is intimidating, monitoring and illegally punishing members, harming our negotiations and our ability to get the contract we deserve,” the bargaining committee said in a statement Friday. “The overwhelming vote to authorize an unfair strike sends a clear message to the company: We are stronger together and will not be divided by intimidation tactics.”

The decision doesn’t necessarily mean that workers, known as cast members, will strike, but it gives union leaders the power to do so if a new contract with Disney isn’t reached. Unions are hoping the vote will add pressure on the company after a demonstration earlier this week at the resort’s entrance, where union members held up signs with slogans such as “Mickey wants fair pay!”

The Disney workers' union said unions were scheduled to meet with the company again on Monday and Tuesday, adding that “strikes are always a last resort.”

“We deeply value the important roles our Cast Members play in creating memorable experiences for our guests,” Disneyland said in a statement. statement“We remain committed to reaching an agreement that focuses on what is most important to them while positioning Disneyland Resort for growth and job creation.”

The company added that the strike declaration was “not unusual as part of the negotiation process” and said Disneyland Resort “continues to welcome guests.”

Gavin Doyle, founder of theme park media outlet Mickey Visit.comHe said he expects the Disney and Disneyland workers' union to avoid a strike or any guest disruptions because Disney needs the support of cast members and the local community to continue its growth plans.

A slate of theme parks is expected to be announced next month at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in Anaheim, Calif., Doyle said. With the city council’s approval of the DisneylandForward development initiative in May, Disney got the green light to build and renovate attractions, restaurants, retail and hotel space on its properties. The company also announced last year that it would begin building more theme parks in the future. Increase investments The company plans to increase its investment in the theme park sector to about $60 billion over the next decade. Doyle said workers are seeking livable wages in its next three-year agreement, and they have many Disney theme park fans on their side.

“Cast members are an integral part of the Disney theme park experience, and everyone wants to see them fairly compensated for the work they do to provide guests with a great vacation,” he said.

On Wednesday, Disneyland's 69th anniversary, hundreds of union members staged a demonstration outside the Disneyland Resort entrance, demanding higher wages and benefits for veteran employees.

Among them is Cynthia Carranza, a night cleaner at Disneyland, who said management intimidates workers by cutting their hours and forcing them to train other employees to do their jobs, creating fear of being replaced.

She said she enjoyed her job making sure the place was clean before visitors arrived, but her wages — now just over $20 an hour — led to her being evicted from her apartment.

Carranza said she lived in her car with her small dogs while working three jobs from July to November 2022. To get to work at Disney, she parked her car at one of her part-time jobs, her dogs barking in the sound of passing cars on the nearby highway, and shared the car with another cast member. She said she used the bathrooms and feminine products in the costume building.

Carranza now shares a small apartment with her boyfriend, but her problems with overwork and underpayment persist. “We are the ones who create the magic in the garden,” she says. “We are willing to do anything to get our contracts moving, to get respect, to earn a livable wage, to be appreciated by others.”

A Disneyland strike would be “catastrophic” for the company and the rest of the 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, Spiegel said department heads left their offices and ran the attractions.

If the work stops this year, Disney will lose more than 14,000 cast members during the peak summer season, Spiegel noted, disrupting millions of visitors as well as hotel and flight bookings.

“I'm sure everyone within the Disney organization is putting pen to paper and seeing how they can do everything they can … to avoid this,” he said.

The Disney Workers Union – also known as the Home Services Council – represents United Food and Commercial Workers Local 324; Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco and Grain Mill Workers Local 83; Service Employees International Union-United Service Workers of the West and Teamsters Union Local 495.

The unions, which represent workers from custodians and game operators to candy makers and merchandise employees, began negotiations on contract issues including wage and attendance policies in April. They say 28 percent of Disney employees surveyed this year reported food insecurity, while a third reported housing insecurity.

The Disneyland contract expired last month, and the Disney California Adventure and Downtown Disney contracts will expire on September 30. The unions have since accused Disney of mistreating more than 675 union members, saying they were “intimidated, monitored and disciplined for wearing union buttons in support of their contract campaign.”

This article has been updated.