Cast members who are Disneyland character and parade performers and hosts, leads and trainers voted this week on whether or not to join the Actors’ Equity Association. The results were overwhelmingly in favor. Throughout the counting process, the vote for “yes” trended at around 75% to 85% of the vote. The final tally saw the vote count at 953 in favor and 258 opposed. This had the vote at 78.70% in support of unionization.
“They say that Disneyland is ‘the place where dreams come true,’ and for the Disney Cast Members who have worked to organize a union, their dream came true today,” said Actors’ Equity Association President Kate Shindle. “These workers are on the front lines of the Guest experience; they’re the human beings who create lifelong memories when your kids hug a character, or when your family watches a parade roll by the castle. The next step will be to collaborate with them about improving health & safety, wages, benefits, working conditions and job security. After that we will meet with representatives of the Walt Disney Company to negotiate those priorities into a first contract.”
The vote for unionization came one month after the 1,700 cast members filed a petition for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board. Voting began on May 15th and continued on the 16th and also today. There were multiple locations for cast members to vote around the Disneyland Resort. Agents from the NLRB tallied the votes. NLRB’s regional director will certify the results within a week if there are no challenges to the election.
Disneyland officials said after the vote that “While voting is complete, there are still steps in the process prior to the election being certified, so it is premature for the company to comment on the results. Whatever the outcome, we respect that our cast members had the opportunity to have their voices heard.”
“This is an incredible victory, and we appreciate all the support over the past several weeks. We’re excited about the next phase,” said Shindle. “These Cast Members are both pro-union and pro-Disney, and they’re looking forward to meeting with their employer across the bargaining table in a good faith effort to make both the work experience and the Guest experience better.”
The Union
There are several unions already in the world of Disney entertainment, and also at the Disneyland Resort. This vote has these cast members joining the Actors Equity union. This will be in contrast to Walt Disney World character and parade performers who are represented by IBT Local 385. This is part of the STCU agreement. Equity represents actors, singers, and dancers at Walt Disney World Resort. At the Disneyland Resort, this group of performers is already represented by AGVA.
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).”
Leaders of Magic United initially shared their choice of Actors’ United saying, “We chose Actors’ Equity Association as our union because we’ve seen how well they work with Disney in Florida, on Broadway and on tour. Our Walt Disney World colleagues exemplify how you can be pro-Disney and pro-union at the same time. Furthermore, the vast majority of our park colleagues here in Anaheim already have union representation. It’s a win/win: when we can speak with a collective voice, we can have a clearer, more productive conversation with our employer. Ultimately this will result in a better experience for all – Cast Members, managers and more importantly, our Guests.”
The Conditions
The group of cast members who led the unionization efforts call themselves Magic United. They announced their intentions to partner with Actors’ Equity Association (Equity) for this process. Last month they held a press event when they filed with the NLRB. At the time, representatives detailed what they wanted to see changed in their workplace at the Disneyland Resort. The changes were focused on safety, scheduling, a living wage, benefits, and also the opportunity to have more say in their workplace. They also wanted access to insurance to be made easier. The current base rate for parade and character cast members is $24.15/hour. This was new and up from $20 an hour as of January 2024. For some roles, there are also premiums that are added on top of that. The premiums can start at 40 centers/hour and vary depending on the role. Disney has a trend that continues of giving non-union cast members annual pay rates. This trend 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.
The attendance policy at Disney is universal and doesn’t apply solely to union workers. Changes in schedules are based on operational necessity as a regular course of business. Due to the nature of the work and business, this can come with little or no notice, particularly when weather is the factor. Safety is a priority for the company and is a determining factor in decisions that are being made. Disney also creates ways for cast members to communicate safety concerns (i.e. escalation to leadership, safety meetings, roundtables, and an anonymous hotline).
Moving Forward
Moving forward, the newly unionized cast members will be represented by Actors’ Equity Association about working conditions, benefits, and wages at the Disneyland resort for parade performers and characters. At this time, negotiations have not been announced. Daps Magic will continue to follow the progress of this, however, and provide updates as they become available.
On April 17, when the petition for a union election was filed with the NLRB, Actors’ Equity Association President Kate Shindle said, “Our goal is to make ‘the happiest place on Earth’ a little happier. 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.”
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information is gathered.
