Over 300 Disneyland Cast Members Hold Union Rally Outside Disneyland Ahead of Vote

A group of labor unions that represent employees (otherwise known as “cast members”) at Disneyland will vote in just two days on whether or not they will authorize a strike. Pressure is escalating amongst cast members and Disney which culminated in a rally outside the theme park today on Disneyland's 69th anniversary.

This rally comes on the heels of weeks of unsuccessful negotiations with Disney officials and the coalition of labor unions along with labor violation complaints filed by the labor unions.

Let's breakdown what is happening with today's rally at Disneyland, the labor coalition's demands, plus the potential for an upcoming strike and how it might affect your future park visit.

Cast Member Labor Unions Fight for Increased Pay

At the end of May, the labor unions representing more than 14,000 Disneyland cast members met with Disney officials to begin negotiating the terms of their contract renewal. The labor unions began bargaining for increased wages that match the cost of living in Southern California. These negotiations so far have not been successful with the contract for cast members at Disneyland expiring on June 16, 2024. The contract for Disney California Adventure and Downtown Disney cast members expires September 30, 2024.

According to Disneyland's Public Affairs website, the current salary for cast members at the Disneyland resort ranges from “$19.90 to $24.15 per hour with “skilled roles” exceeding a starting rate of $25 an hour.”

This is the biggest dog the labor unions representing cast members have in this fight as they ask for increased wages to help manage the cost of living in Southern California. The cost of living has been further impacted by the increase of inflation that has caused a strong negative economic impact among many Americans. California is known for its high cost of living with Anaheim ranking at 51% higher than the national average as of November 2023 according to The Council for Community and Economic Research.

According to the labor union's website, Disney offered cast members “a 25 cent increase for those who have worked at Disney for more than 20 years and an average less than a dollar per year increase for five years.” The labor coalition turned down the offer and the negotiations have been going back and forth since.

The Disney Workers Rising Bargaining Committee shared that, “Our goal for negotiations has always been to reach an agreement with Disney — one that provides cast members with wages they need to live in Southern California, the respect they deserve for the years they’ve dedicated to the company and an attendance policy that works for everyone while keeping park guests safe.”

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Cast Members Told Union Pins Violate Dress Code

The statement released by the Disney Workers Rising Bargaining Committee goes on to describe the most recent labor violation complaints filed by the cast member unions in response to not being permitted to wear their union buttons on their uniforms.

Union members created union pins to represent their cause which show Mickey Mouse's hand raised in a fist (pictured below) and have been handing them out in Downtown Disney and encouraging members to wear them at work.

According to the union, cast members have been told that wearing the pins was in violation of employee park dress code. In response, the labor coalition representing the cast members filed labor violation complaints stating that Disney officials are preventing employees from exercising their right to wear union buttons at work.

The Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute protects federal employees’ rights to “organize, bargain collectively, and participate in labor organizations of their choosing.” This is the federal law that the labor coalition is accusing Disney officials of going against by reportedly refusing cast members to represent their union at work with these buttons.

Cast Members Hold Rally in Support Outside Disneyland

Today on Disneyland's 69th anniversary, a reported 400 cast members planned to attend a rally on Harbor Blvd with cast members and supporters. According to the rally announcement, union leaders wanted to “pack Harbor Blvd with cast members and supporters to show Disney we’re serious.”

This rally took place just two days before the labor coalition will vote on whether or not to strike on July 19th. Based on the context shared by the unions, this strike will fall under the category of a “Unfair Labor Practice” strike which offers more protections for union members under federal law. The results of the strike authorization vote will be announced by July 20th after the unions have notified cast members and counted votes.

Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix, the co-founder of MousePlanet, was on the ground and shared that the demonstrators were friendly and organized. Vincent-Phoenix also provided the above two photos from the demonstration today. She estimated that over 300 cast members were in attendance.

She also shared “the marchers tried to get to the main entrance, but were turned away by Disneyland security and Anaheim Police at security before bag check.

The last time cast members at Disneyland went on strike was back in 1984 when nearly 2,000 cast members participated in a 22-day-long strike, according to Los Angeles Times.

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What Happens if Cast Members Go on Strike?

This would have a huge impact on Disneyland if cast members vote to strike and do not meet an agreement with Disney officials before the strike takes place. This labor coalition represents 14,000 cast members across Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure, and Downtown Disney. That doesn't mean that every union member will choose to strike nor are they required to. But if the vote on July 19th is in favor of a strike, that means there are a large number of members that support the strike which could have a huge impact.

It is hard to imagine the strike NOT having an impact on regular park operations but it is likely Disney will try to avert a strike from happening. We just want both sides to move forward towards an agreement that fairly compensates the cast members who make the magic at the parks that allows Disneyland to continue to operate smoothly.

We reached out to Disney officials for a comment and they shared, “With today’s rally, we continue to be focused on the wellbeing of our guests and cast members. We remain committed to the upcoming meetings on July 22 – 23 and reaching an agreement with Master Services that focuses on what matters most to cast members, positions Disneyland Resort for growth and job creation and enables us to continue delivering incredible guest experiences.”

Just because a union votes to strike, it doesn't mean it will happen and often it can end up bringing the groups back to the bargaining table. Let's hope this is the case for Disneyland and that negotiations go smoothly on July 22nd and 23rd.

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