“We make Disneyland a place for family vacations, birthdays and celebrations. We generate the profits from the theme parks and the magic you’ll find throughout the resort. But instead of rewarding our hard work and dedication, Disney unlawfully intimidates, surveils and disciplines its members, which hurts our negotiations and our ability to get the contract we deserve,” the bargaining committee said in Friday’s statement. “The overwhelming vote to authorize the strike over unfair labor practices sends a clear message to the company: we are stronger together and will not be divided by fear tactics.”
The move doesn’t necessarily mean the employees, known as cast members, will strike, but it gives union leaders the power to do so if a new contract with Disney can’t be reached. Unions are hoping the vote will increase pressure on the company after a rally earlier this week at the resort’s entrance, where union members held signs with slogans like “Mickey Wants Fair Pay!”
Disney Workers Rising said unions are expected to meet with the company again Monday and Tuesday, adding that “a strike is always a last resort.”
“We greatly value the important role our stakeholders play in creating memorable experiences for our guests,” Disneyland said in a 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 the strike authorization “is not unusual as part of a bargaining process” and said Disneyland Resort “continues to welcome guests.”
Gavin Doyle, founder of theme park news outlet MickeyVisit.com, said he expects Disney Workers Rising and Disneyland to avoid a strike or any disruption to visitors because Disney needs the support of cast members and the local community to continue its growth plans.
Several theme park announcements are expected next month at the 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 has the green light to build and renovate attractions, restaurants, retail and hotels on its property. The company also announced last year that it would increase its investment in its theme park segment to about $60 billion over the next decade. As workers seek decent wages under their upcoming three-year deal, they also have plenty of Disney theme park enthusiasts on their side, Doyle said.
“Cast members are an integral part of the Disney theme park experience,” he said. “Everyone wants to see them fairly compensated for the work they do to deliver a great vacation experience to guests.”
On Wednesday, Disneyland’s 69th anniversary, hundreds of union members held a rally outside the Disneyland Resort entrance, demanding higher wages and incentives for longtime employees.
Among them was Cynthia Carranza, a Disneyland night shift worker, who said management intimidated workers by cutting their hours and forcing them to train other employees to do their jobs, creating fear of being replaced.
She said she loved her job making sure the place was clean before visitors arrived, but her pay – now just over $20 an hour – led to her being evicted from her apartment.
Carranza said she lived in her car with her puppies while working three jobs from July to November 2022. To get to work at Disney, she said, she parked her car at one of her part-time jobs, with the noise of passing cars on the nearby freeway drowning out her dogs’ barks, and carpooled with another cast member. She used the showers and feminine products in the costume building, she added.
Carranza now shares a studio with her boyfriend, but her issues of overwork and underpayment remain. “We are the people who create the magic of the park,” she said. “We are willing to do whatever it takes to advance our contracts, to be respected, to earn a decent wage, to be valued.”
A strike at Disneyland would be “catastrophic” for the company and the rest of the theme park industry, said Dennis Speigel, founder and chief executive of the global consulting organization International Theme Park Services. During the last Disneyland strike, which lasted 22 days in 1984, Speigel said division managers walked out of their offices and operated the attractions.
If Disney were to go on strike this year, it would be short more than 14,000 staff members during its peak summer season, Speigel noted, disrupting millions of visitors and their hotel and airline reservations.
“I’m sure everyone within the Disney organization is taking notes and thinking about how they can do whatever they can…to avoid this,” he said.
Disney Workers United, also known as the Master Services Council, represents the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 324, the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers Local 83, the Service Employees International Union-United Service Workers West and the Teamsters Local 495.
The unions, which represent workers from janitors and ride operators to candy makers and merchandise clerks, began negotiations on contract issues including wages and attendance policies in April. They say 28% of Disney employees surveyed this year reported experiencing food insecurity, while a third reported experiencing housing insecurity.
The Disneyland Park contract expired last month, and the Disney California Adventure Park and Downtown Disney contract will expire on September 30. The unions have since accused Disney of mistreating more than 675 union members, saying they “were intimidated, surveilled and disciplined for wearing union badges in support of their contract campaign.”
This article has been updated.