Disneyland forged members announce plans to kind a union

Actors at Disneyland who carry out as Mickey and Minnie Mouse, in addition to different costumed characters on the California theme park, stated Tuesday they’re transferring to kind a union.

Calling themselves “Magic United,” the forged members looking for to prepare introduced they’re working with Actors’ Fairness Affiliation, a union representing 51,000 theater actors and stage managers throughout the U.S. Though a lot of the roughly 35,000 employees at Disneyland have already got labor unions, about 1,700 performers and character actors don’t, the labor group stated.

The hassle is in its early phases, with organizers having solely simply begun circulating union playing cards to the forged members this week, in accordance with Actors’ Fairness. If a majority of employees signal the playing cards, the group plans to hunt voluntary recognition for the union from Disney Resort Leisure, which oversees Disneyland. 

“Disneyland is a really particular place, the place forged members create magic that draws tens of millions of friends yearly,” Actors’ Fairness Affiliation President Kate Shindle stated in an announcement, noting that the union already represents performers at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. “Disney employees are overtly and powerfully invested in and constant to the Walt Disney Firm and its values, so it is affordable for them to anticipate ‘the happiest place on earth’ to pay them pretty and prioritize their well being and security.”

Magic United’s major calls for embody greater pay, a secure and sanitary office, and transparency in scheduling and rehiring, in accordance with the group. 

Disney operates two theme parks — Disneyland and Disney California Journey — and a procuring and leisure space known as Downtown Disney in Anaheim. Disneyland, the corporate’s oldest park, was the second-most visited theme park worldwide in 2022 with 16.8 million folks coming by means of the gates, in accordance with a report by the Themed Leisure Affiliation and AECOM.

Disneyland officers stated in an announcement that they consider forged members deserve the appropriate to a confidential vote.

—The Related Press contributed to this report.