Disney’s Anaheim park and hotel employees Voted in favor Instead of endorsing what could have been Disneyland’s first strike in 40 years, labor union coalition Disney Workers Rising announced the ratification of a new three-year contract.
DWR, a coalition of four unions representing 14,000 workers at Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, the Downtown Disney shopping and dining district between the parks, and the various Disney-owned hotels in the area, announced this morning that the new contract will raise employees’ minimum base wage to $24 per hour in 2024, effective immediately, with most workers receiving an additional $6.10 over the life of the contract. Other benefits from the contract include improved attendance and sick leave policies, as well as new benefits and longer tenure for senior cast members (a collective term for Disney park employees, from cashiers to ride operators, janitors, and candy makers).
“By ratifying these contracts, Disney Cast Members have secured historic pay raises and policies and protections that reflect their role as makers of magic at Disney Parks,” the Disney Workers Rising Negotiating Committee said in a statement. Thursday“For months, our hard-working cast members have been united at the bargaining table and in our parks to ensure Disney recognizes what they bring to the theme park experience, and these agreements are the tangible and direct result of this tireless effort.”
Negotiations on the new contract began in late April, before Disneyland employees’ current contracts expired on June 16 and separate contracts for Disney California Adventure and Downtown Disney employees expired on September 30. The news came at a critical time for both parks. Just days before negotiations on the new contracts began, the Anaheim City Council unanimously approved a $1.9 billion expansion plan for Disneyland over the next 40 years. The expansion plan includes new attractions and accommodations that could create up to approximately 9,000 jobs during construction and approximately 4,600 more during eventual operation. At the time, all of these new jobs were described as “100% union labor, with an emphasis on hiring Anaheim residents and veterans.”
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