Cast members that come from parades and characters at the Disneyland Resort have voted to file with the National Labor Relations Board for union representation. A supermajority of the 1,700 cast members voted for this move. The announcement was made at a press event this morning. Cast members from the parades and characters along with the president of the Actors’ Equity Association (Equity) announced that the union had filed an election petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for union recognition. Equity will be serving as their bargaining representative.
“The Cast Members who bring the Characters and Parades to life have been non-union since Disneyland Resort opened in the 1950s and have watched other workers in the park unionize all around them. Just eight weeks after Equity launched a campaign seeking union authorization cards, we have signatures from a supermajority of those eligible,” said Equity President Kate Shindle. “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. They deserve a voice in their workplace, and meaningful negotiations over wages, benefits and working conditions.”
Disney officials released a statement saying, “We support our cast members’ right to a confidential vote that recognizes their individual choices.”
The new group is called Magic United. They announced their intentions to unionize in February. Since then, volunteers have been collecting signatures for the effort. This culminated in the notification yesterday by the group to Disney that a supermajority of the 1,700 eligible cast members had signed the union’s petition. With this, they asked Disney for voluntary recognition. In a joint letter from members of Magic United to Disneyland Resort’s Labor Relations, the cast members said, “Our hope is to keep moving forward in collaboration. We believe improving our collective working conditions will have a direct impact on not only Cast Members’ lives, but the caliber of entertainment we offer at Disneyland Resort.”
“We love the work we do. We are proud to be a part of one of the greatest legacies in modern entertainment. Magic United invites The Walt Disney Company to voluntarily recognize our union and work with us to enhance an essential aspect of Walt Disney’s vision for his theme park – the transcendent magic of live entertainment.”
As of today, the union does not have a response from the company. It will continue to move forward with plans for a union election with the NLRB. Unless the company does grant recognition, elections will be held on-site in May or June at the Disneyland Resort.
At the announcement, Magic United spokespeople shared the details for the improvements they are hoping for. This includes changes in safety, scheduling, a living wage, benefits, and also the opportunity to have a say in their workplace. They also discussed how hard they feel it is to obtain health insurance through Disney. Currently the base rate for parade and character cast members is $24.15/hour. There are also premiums on top of that for different roles. The premiums can start at 40 cents/hour and vary. However, even with these wishes for change, the speakers made it clear that they love their jobs and are both pro-Disney and also pro-union. This wage is up from $20 an hour and went into effect in January 2024. This continues a trend of annual pay raises for non-union cast members that goes back as far as Disney’s records currently show.
Disney’s part-time cast members are hired to work year round for an average of 20 hours per week. During peak seasons and holidays, they can end up working more. This can lead to them being offered benefits, including health care. Disney also has a paid sick leave it believes is reasonable and fair. It provides multiple ways for cast to take time off and Disney believes it aligns with industry standards and legislation from the state of California. Currently, cast members allows for Cast Members to miss up to 20 days of work to take care of themselves or others before being separated.
Currently, Disney’s attendance policy applies to everyone, both union and non-union. Changes in schedule are based on operational necessity as a regular course of business, Disney shared. There is no notice requirement when operational necessity is applied, and in the case of inclement weather, those decisions are typically made less than 72 hours ahead of time. Disney regularly shares that safety is a priority for the company. There are also multiple ways for cast members to communicate safety concerns (escalate to leadership, safety meetings, roundtables, and can use an anonymous hotline).
The move to unionize by this group comes as many other cast members at the Disneyland Resort are already unionized. The group noted that characters and parades cast members at Walt Disney World Resort are also unionized. However, they are not represented by Equity. Instead they are a part of IBT Local 385, part of the STCU agreement. In Florida, Equity represents actors/singers/dancers, who are represented by the American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA) at Disneyland Resort.
“Our goal is to make ‘the happiest place on Earth’ a little happier,” said Shindle. “Equity has a very good relationship with Disney. We negotiate with them at Walt Disney World in Orlando, and with Disney Theatricals on Broadway and national tours. We look forward to meeting with their representatives across the bargaining table, and together, making the Disneyland Resort a fairer and safer place to work.”
Actors’ Equity Association was founded in 1913 and represents over 51,000 professional actors and stage managers. According to a release from Equity, it “endeavors to advance the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits (health and pension included).”
