Published: Sunday, May 19, 2024
ANAHEIM (Calif.) — Disneyland performers, who bring Mickey Mouse and Cinderella to life, chose to unionize after a three-day voting process that culminated on Saturday.
Actors’ Equity Association, a union representing Disney theme park employees in the departments of parades and characters, said that the cast members voted overwhelmingly for the union to be the collective bargaining agent. The group consists of approximately 1,700 workers.
A website that tracks the voting among members of an association showed 78.7% (953 vote) in favor with 21.3% (258 vote) against.
In a statement released Saturday night, Actors’ Equity Association president Kate Shindle stated that Disneyland was “the place where dreams are realized.” For the Disney Cast Members, who worked hard to organize a labor union, today their dream became a reality.
Shindle called workers “frontlines” of the Disneyland experience. She said that the association and cast members would discuss improvements in health and safety, wages, benefits and working conditions before meeting with Walt Disney Company representative to negotiate staff priorities.
The union represents the theatrical performers in Disney’s Florida parks.
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According to the association, if there are no challenges to the election results, the Regional Director of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) will certify them within a week.
The NLRB didn’t immediately respond to a request from The Associated Press for confirmation or more information regarding the vote.
Workers had filed cards earlier in the year to form a unit called “Magic United”.
The parade and character workers, who advocated unionization, said that they loved creating a magical Disney experience but were concerned when asked to hug visitors again after returning to their jobs during the pandemic of coronavirus. The workers said that they are also injured by the complex costumes and erratic work schedules.
The majority of the 35,000 employees at the Disneyland Resort are unionized, including the cleaning crews and pyrotechnics specialists. Disneyland is the Walt Disney Co.’s oldest theme-park, along with Disney California Adventure, the shopping and entertainment district Downtown Disney, and other attractions.
Disney has been accused of failing to pay its Southern California employees a living wage, as they face high housing costs, and are often forced to commute long distances, or live in small apartments. The base wage for parade performers and character actors is $24.15 per hour. This was up from $20 in January. There are also bonuses for certain roles.
The United States has seen a decline in union membership for decades. However, in recent years, high-profile contracts involving Hollywood Studios and Las Vegas Hotels have led to a growing public’s support. The NLRB (which protects the right of workers to organize) reported that more than 2,500 applications for union representation were filed during the fiscal year 2023, the most in eight years.
It took more than 40 year for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters to organize those who perform as Mickey, Goofy, and Donald Duck, in Florida. The union is known traditionally to represent transportation workers.
The Florida performers at that time complained about dirty costumes and abuse by guests. Children would even kick the shins off Disney villains like Captain Hook.