Disneyland Workers Seeking to Form Union for 1,700 Character Performers With Actors’ Equity
Mickey Mouse, kickin’ ass for the working class? Employees who work in Disneyland’s Characters and Parades departments announced they are unionizing with Actors’ Equity Association.
Actors’ Equity represents some 51,000 professional actors and stage managers on Broadway and in live theatre across the U.S. — including performers at Walt Disney World in Florida.
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Calling themselves “Magic United,” the Disneyland union organizers have begun circulating union authorization cards to 1,700 “Cast Members” who work at the Anaheim, Calif., park and will seek voluntary recognition from Disney Resort Entertainment if and when a majority of the workers have signed. If the company declines to recognize the union, Actors’ Equity will then file the cards with the National Labor Relations Board; upon receiving the petition, the NLRB will schedule a union-recognition election for cast members in the Disneyland Character and Parades departments. Following a vote in favor of unionization, the company will be required under federal labor laws to meet with Equity’s representatives at the bargaining table and negotiate a contract.
Asked for comment, a rep for Disneyland said, “We believe that our Cast Members deserve to have all the facts and the right to a confidential vote that recognizes their individual choices.”
The bargaining unit includes cast members in the Disneyland Characters department who “create Disney magic for Guests by bringing beloved characters to life in shows, meet and greets and character dining experiences,” according to the union organizations. Others include parade performers, hosts, trainers, leads and others support roles.
“Disneyland is a very special place, where Cast Members create magic that attracts millions of guests every year,” Actors’ Equity Association president Kate Shindle said in a statement. “Disney workers are openly and powerfully invested in and loyal to the Walt Disney Company and its values, so it’s reasonable for them to expect ‘the happiest place on earth’ to pay them fairly and prioritize their health and safety.”
Shindle added, “Equity already represents hundreds of performers at Walt Disney World in Orlando, and we have a long and successful bargaining relationship with Disney. We look forward to extending that work to include these Cast Members in Anaheim and applaud them for their incredible work on the campaign thus far.”
The Disneyland Resort, which includes Disneyland Park and Disney’s California Adventure as well as three hotels and Downtown Disney, opened in 1955 and has become one of the most-attended themed entertainment attractions in the world.
Actors’ Equity, founded in 1913, is affiliated with the AFL-CIO. In the past two years, Equity’s organizing campaigns have resulted in union recognition for planetarium lecturers and strippers in Los Angeles and at Drunk Shakespeare companies across the U.S.
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