Disneyland Character Workers File for a Union Election With the NLRB

Katie Kilkenny
·3 min read

The workers who play characters like Goofy and Mickey Mouse and cheer and dance at parades at Disneyland have taken a step forward in their push to unionize with Actors’ Equity.

The group of organizers, which is seeking to represent 1,700 employees, filed a petition for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board, Actors’ Equity president Kate Shindle announced at a press conference in Anaheim on Wednesday. According to Shindle, a “supermajority” of eligible employees have signed union authorization cards, supporting the move to be represented by Actors’ Equity in collective bargaining. Beyond performers, the group — which calls itself “Magic United” — also includes workers who help facilitate character performers’ interactions with park patrons and trainers who work with them.

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“These performers, and the Hosts, Leads and Trainers who create magic alongside them, know that their lives — as well as the Guest experience at Disneyland — can be improved through collective bargaining,” Shindle said in a statement. “They deserve a voice in their workplace, and meaningful negotiations over wages, benefits and working conditions.” She added at Wednesday’s press conference, “We are confident they will prevail.”

On Tuesday, the union stated, the Walt Disney Company was informed of the number of character and parade workers who signed union cards and was asked to grant the group voluntary recognition. The union said it has not yet gotten a response from the company.

When reached for comment, Disney officials said in a statement, “We support our cast members’ right to a confidential vote that recognizes their individual choices.”

With the union drive, workers are seeking to boost wages (per Actors’ Equity, parade and cast character minimum pay is $24.15 an hour, with additional compensation for certain roles), address concerns they have about safety and health in the workplace, change scheduling practices and secure health insurance more easily. (Disneyland hourly non-union employees typically get annual pay raises and receive health care benefits if they are qualified as full-time employees.)

During the press conference, workers got specific about their issues. One worker in the character department, Mai Vo, described being asked in April 2022 to return to regular “meet and greets,” hugging park patrons after a period of social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. “This caused fear amongst the staff. I was personally told that if I didn’t like it, I could either quit or transfer to another department. Willful disregard of COVID safety concerns made us feel like we were just a number,” she said. Three workers described safety risks posed by certain Disneyland costumes, with one referring to “permanent injuries” that colleagues had sustained as as result. Entertainment host Angela Nichols referred to “punitive and confusing sick time policies” and how, when it comes to diversity and inclusion, there has not been “consistent or overarching change in the entertainment department … leaving diverse cast members with less job security than the rest.”

During the conference, Actors’ Equity president Shindle called on Disney again to voluntarily recognize the group. “What these cast members are asking more is a drop in the bucket of the $60 billion you have committed to invest in experiences over the next few years,” Shindle said in a message directed at the company.

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