ANAHEIM, Calif. ( AP ) On Wednesday, performers who help Disney’s beloved characters at its Southern California theme parks signed a petition to form a labor union filed a petition.
The employees at Disneyland and a nearby theme park, Disney California Adventure, include festival players, figure actors, and support team. The plea to find an election was signed by more than two-thirds of the about 1,700 qualified workers, the workers claimed, noting that a vote will likely take place in May or June.
Staff said they also asked The Walt Disney Co. at a press event in Anaheim, which is home to the two theme parks and the Downtown Disney shopping and entertainment area. to acknowledge the coalition that they refer to as” Magic United.” ”
Many employees praised their efforts to make Disneyland visitors a wonderful experience. However, they claimed that as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, they began to worry about returning to work after being asked to hug patrons, and that they now face problems due to shoddy planning, uneven scheduling, and management’s inability to keep up their lines of communication.
A 37-year-old entertainer who has been a Disney employee for 20 years claimed that her eyes were stained grey and that she wore black contact lenses as part of a outfit. She claimed that she received less money for that position than someone who played a similar position but was affiliated with a union.
“ I love my job, but I know that we all deserve better, ” Vo said. I have faith that by uniting, we can get powerful and voice advocates for positive change. ”
Most of the more than 35,000 staff at the Disneyland Resort, which includes the design gardens, now have organizations. In February, the Paradise and Character Workers of Disney’s Florida theme parks announced their plans to unionize under the Actors ‘ Equity Association, which represents theatrical performers.
In a statement Wednesday, Disney authorities said: “We assist our throw members ’ straight to a private voting that recognizes their personal decisions. ”
Union membership has declined steadily over the past ten years in the United States, but thanks to recent high-profile contract discussions involving Hollywood producers and accommodations, businesses have gained more public support. The NLRB, which protects workers ’ right to organize, reported more than 2,500 files for union picture during the 2023 fiscal year, which was the highest quantity in eight years.
Disney has a significant presence in Anaheim. Disneyland, the firm ’s oldest area, was the world’s second-most visited theme park in 2022, hosting 16. According to a statement from Themed Entertainment Association and AECOM, 8 million people live there.
In California, Disney’s cleaning crew, food service personnel, chemical experts and security personnel are currently unionized. Despite earning a profit, the company has been accused in recent years of no paying its employees a sustainable income for Southern California. Yet income disputes have gotten away with in the courts.
Parade actors and character players make a starting salary of$ 24. 15 an hour, with prices for various functions that may vary widely, staff said. Until January, the bottom earn was$ 20 an hour.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a coalition that usually represents travel workers, organized the effort to manage character and parade performers in California more than 40 years after those who play Mickey, Goofy, and Donald Duck in Florida. The Florida singers complained about nasty outfits and child abuse from the audience, including those who would blow the shins of Disney villains like Captain Hook at the time.
Kate Shindle, president of Actors ’ Equity, said she was confident the California workers would win the election through the NLRB, the federal agency that protects workers ’ rights to organize.
They simply want to be paid pretty, to have a more compassionate planning system, to be sure their work is healthy, and to have clear, polite communication at work. As more than a hundred Disney employees wore blue T-shirts with coalition phrases, she told reporters as she was surrounded by them.
Shantall Segura, a 29-year-old figure actor, was among them. She expressed concern that while walking through pools on uneven terrain, she might slip in her boots after it rains or savage her feet.
Courtney Griffith, a 26-year-old parade performer, claimed that her coworkers generally got hurt by elaborate or expensive costumes and that they later developed a rash after wearing a particular costume despite being told to keep on it. After a director tried it on and developed a rash, she claimed the mask was finally put on hold.
“ I would like to operate around as long as possible. This is my wish career, ” Griffith said. We all have similar problems, and the business does not give our control the resources to assist us. ”
