Disneyland performers file petition to type labor union
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Employees who assist deliver Disneyland’s beloved characters to life mentioned Wednesday they collected sufficient signatures to assist their push for a union.
A bunch of 1,700 performers, together with those that symbolize characters and dance in parades at Disney’s Southern California theme parks, mentioned they filed an election petition with the Nationwide Labor Relations Board. A vote would seemingly be held in Could or June.
The employees mentioned additionally they requested The Walt Disney Co. to acknowledge their union, which they’re calling “Magic United.”
In a press release Wednesday, Disney officers mentioned: “We assist our solid members’ proper to a confidential vote that acknowledges their particular person decisions.”
Many of the greater than 35,000 employees on the Disneyland Resort have already got unions. Parade and character employees introduced their plans to unionize in February to handle security considerations and scheduling, amongst different points.
The union can be shaped underneath Actors’ Fairness Affiliation, which already represents theatrical performers at Disney’s Florida theme parks.
Union membership has been on a decades-long decline in the USA, however organizations have seen rising public assist lately amid high-profile contract negotiations involving Hollywood studios and Las Vegas lodges. The Nationwide Labor Relations Board, which protects employees’ proper to arrange, reported greater than 2,500 filings for union illustration through the 2023 fiscal 12 months, which was the very best quantity in eight years.
Disney has a serious presence in Anaheim, the place it operates two theme parks — Disneyland and Disney California Journey — in addition to a procuring and leisure space referred to as Downtown Disney. Disneyland, the corporate’s oldest park, was the world’s second-most visited theme park in 2022, internet hosting 16.8 million folks, in keeping with a report by the Themed Leisure Affiliation and AECOM.
