Thousands of Disneyland staff vote to authorize a strike

Four unions representing more than 14,000 workers at Disney’s theme parks and resort properties in Southern California announced late Friday that members have voted to authorize a strike, citing alleged unfair labor practices during contract negotiations.

The thousands of workers at Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, the Downtown Disney retail district and Disney-owned hotels authorized a walkout, the unions announced.

If a strike does occur, it would be the first at Disneyland in 40 years.

The unions said there was “a 99% membership vote in favor of authorizing their Disney Workers Rising bargaining committee to call for an unfair labor practice strike.” That does not mean there is a strike immediately, but that one is authorized.

“Instead of working with us toward a fair contract, Disney has engaged in multiple instances of conduct we allege are unfair labor practices, including unlawful discipline and intimidation and surveillance of union members exercising their right to wear union buttons at work,” the Disney Workers Rising Bargaining Committee said in a statement ahead of the vote.

“We know these actions are only an attempt to stop us from exercising our rights and saddle us with a contract that perpetuates the status quo at Disney,” the bargaining committee added.

The union buttons in question depict a Mickey Mouse-style white glove raised in a fist.

The Walt Disney Company did not immediately respond to a request for comment early Saturday.

The employees at the center of the labor fight include custodians, ride operators, candymakers and merchandise clerks at the popular theme park and resort complex, a pillar of the tourism economy in Southern California.

The workers — known in company parlance as “cast members” — entered into contract negotiations with the entertainment giant on April 24. Nearly two months later, on June 10, Disney workers announced that they had filed unfair labor practice charges against the company.

The charges, concerning more than 675 workers, are now being investigated by the National Labor Relations Board, an independent federal agency that enforces labor law.

“We won’t accept less than what we deserve because we know our value to Disney. The theme parks’ profits come from our hard work making a trip to Disneyland a magical experience for guests. By undermining our rights, Disney has only made harder our fight to help our guests and keep our parks safe,” the bargaining committee said.

In recent years, labor scholars have drawn public attention to the economic struggles of employees at Disneyland and other major theme parks across the country.

In early 2018, for example, researchers at Occidental College and the Economic Roundtable, a nonprofit research group, released a report that found 74% of Disneyland workers could not cover basic expenses each month. The report surveyed employees who had experienced homelessness, food insecurity and other challenges.

In an internal survey of union members conducted earlier this year, 28% of Disneyland cast members reported experiencing food insecurity, 33% reported experiencing housing insecurity in the last year, and 42% reported needing to miss work for medical treatment because they did not have enough sick leave.

The unions said in announcing the strike authorization that 64% of cast members are spending more than half their monthly paychecks on rent.

“Disneyland brands itself as ‘The Happiest Place on Earth’ [but] the reality for park employees is largely one of economic hardship,” the unionized workers said in a statement ahead of the vote, which took place Friday.

The four unions that represent the workers are the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers (BCTGM) Local 83; the Service Employees International Union-United Service Workers West (SEIU-USWW); the Teamsters Local 495; and the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 324.

The contract for cast members at Disneyland expired June 16. The contract for cast members at Disney California Adventure and Downtown Disney expires Sept. 30.

The last time Disneyland was hit with a strike was September 1984, when nearly 2,000 cast members walked off the job for 22 days.

Despite the strike authorization vote, negotiations are not over.

The Disney Workers Rising Bargaining Committee said that it has committed to return to the bargaining table on Monday and Tuesday.

But the strike authorization allows the bargaining committee to call a strike at any time, it said.