Actors who portray Disney characters at Disneyland poised to take next step in unionization effort

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: CBS News/AP

April 17, 2024 / 4:30 PM EDT


Workers who bring Disney characters to life at the entertainment giant's West Coast amusement parks said on Wednesday they have gathered enough signatures to unionize.

More than two-thirds of roughly 1,700 eligible Disney performers, including those who dress in character at meet-and-greets and parades at Disney's Southern California theme parks, said they have signed their union authorization cards and election petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and are ready to move on to the next step. In lieu of voluntary recognition from the House of Mouse, that next step would be to hold a vote on union representation, which will likely happen in May or June, they said.

"We love the work we do," the workers said in a statement Wednesday. "We are proud to be a part of one of the greatest legacies in modern entertainment. 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."

The workers said they also have asked The Walt Disney Company to recognize their union, which they are calling "Magic United," but have not received a response. Magic United's main demands include higher pay, a safe and sanitary workplace and transparency in scheduling and rehiring, according to the group.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/disneyland-characters-unionize-workers-magic-united/

[cstanleytech]

1. Any chance Disney could get out it by changing to contract workers to play the parts?

[OldBaldy1701E]

2. Sure.

They could also just designate the entire performance team as 'contract workers' and then do nothing for them because they are not 'employees'. There are several ways that a corporation can screw over their workers and yet we keep on letting these companies stay in business. As long as they keep on donating to their favorite congress critter, they can keep on screwing over anyone who dares to work for them. And, since our society offers nothing else except 'either be rich or make someone else rich', we have little choice. Our society is skewed towards the oligarchy. If you don't play the game...