Disneyland's costumed characters make family memories. Disney's contract proposal doesn't have paid parental leave

Disneyland, 1 of the astir fashionable destinations for families, has agelong provided the employees down its parades and costumed characters with paid permission successful the weeks aft they go caller parents.

But present those full-time and part-time workers, organized nether the national Actors’ Equity Assn., accidental Disney has threatened to instrumentality that payment away, arsenic they negociate a caller declaration that includes proposals for higher wages, among different items.

The 1,700 workers successful the portion known arsenic Magic United began bargaining their archetypal declaration successful October 2024 and person yet to scope statement with Disney implicit cardinal issues. They are the radical supporting Disneyland’s parades, shows and quality operations, including immoderate who execute arsenic iconic characters specified arsenic Mickey Mouse, Snow White and Cinderella.

They organized implicit respective issues, including information and wellness concerns. The commencement complaint for parade and pageant helpers is $26 an hour, portion the commencement complaint for signifier scheduling assistants is $28.25 an hour, according to the union. About 60% of the portion are part-time workers.

Disney’s existent connection does not see paid parental leave, eliminates a paid vacation and reduces however overmuch Disney matches worker contributions to their 401(k) plans, national members said.

A Disney manager nether the absorption of Christie Sutherland, caput of labour relations astatine Disney Experiences, wrote to Actors’ Equity enactment saying, “Our connection does not see Paid Parental Leave,” according to an April 6 email viewed by The Times, which the national provided successful effect to a connection from the company. The manager besides said the company’s connection includes cutting the fig of paid holidays for Magic United full-time workers from 12 to 11.

Disneyland Resort spokeswoman Jessica Jakary said proposals whitethorn alteration and noted that the bargaining portion is caller and that the ongoing declaration negotiations are establishing archetypal employment presumption and conditions for the archetypal time, alternatively than modifying an existing contract. As a result, nary benefits were being cut, she said. The 11 holidays lucifer the payment that much than 80% of Disneyland Resort employees receive, Jakary said.

“Disneyland Resort values its formed members, offers competitory benefits and is arrogant of its agelong past of moving collaboratively with the unions that correspond them,” Jakary said.

Union leaders cull that framing.

“They are trying to portion distant the precise things that marque the Disneyland acquisition what it is,” said Al Vincent Jr., Actors’ Equity’s enforcement director. “When you suggest to instrumentality distant paid parental permission from those who enactment time successful and time retired to springiness different families large experiences, that’s not household friendly.”

The workers received paid parental permission earlier they organized, nether presumption Disney acceptable connected its own. Once they voted to unionize, the institution and the national began negotiating a archetypal declaration from the crushed up, a process successful which existing benefits transportation nary guarantee. That is wherefore Disney tin accidental nary benefits are being chopped portion workers accidental they are losing them.

Disney presently provides up to 8 weeks of paid parental leave. Union workers tin besides use for authorities fiscal assistance for household leave, which tin temporarily regenerate 70% to 90% of a worker’s salary, depending connected their income.

Last year, 25 radical successful the portion took babe bonding leave, according to the union. In its fiscal 2nd quarter, Disney’s home parks and experiences part generated $6.9 billion, up 6% from a twelvemonth earlier.

“We’re not asking for the moon,” said Courtney Griffith, a 28-year-old who performs astatine Disney parades and shows, including “Fantasmic!” “We springiness our each to performing to marque definite the guests person the champion acquisition they perchance tin due to the fact that we grew up having the champion experience. We conscionable privation to beryllium invested successful the mode that we put successful this company.”

“We’re not asking for the moon,” said Courtney Griffith, 28, who performs astatine Disney parades and shows.

(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)

Other unionized workers astatine Disney properties person paid parental leave. For example, unionized quality actors astatine Florida’s Walt Disney World Resort nether the Teamsters and Disneyland adjunct signifier managers organized nether IATSE Local 504 successful California person those benefits. Jakary noted that Florida does not supply authorities disablement payments for parental permission arsenic California does.

“The beingness of authorities disablement for parental permission successful California has not antecedently been a origin preventing the institution from offering this payment to these workers, truthful it’s not an excuse for eliminating that benefit,” Actors’ Equity said successful a statement.

Although the national said it has been getting question connected a fig of wellness and information issues, determination are different points successful contention, including the magnitude the institution matches for worker contributions to their 401(k) status savings plans and a connection that limits the fig of times a idiosyncratic tin springiness distant a displacement without managerial approval. Disney’s existent connection besides eliminates Easter arsenic a paid holiday, the national said.

“It feels similar the benefits and the perks that we person enjoyed for a agelong clip support vanishing,” said Todd Stubbler, a 61-year-old pageant helper who has worked astatine Disneyland for adjacent to 35 years.

Madison Huckaby-Budds said the quality to commercialized oregon springiness distant shifts was adjuvant erstwhile she was pregnant. The Disneyland amusement big gave commencement to a babe lad successful July. Before going connected maternity leave, she was capable to power shifts with co-workers to debar places similar Mickey’s House successful Toontown, which has a batch of stairs and requires carnal question of items that could beryllium challenging for her portion pregnant.

“The payment of Disney’s flexibility of uncovering sum similar that was immense for maine to beryllium capable to proceed to bash each the things that I do,” said Huckaby-Budds, adding that she has switched shifts astatine slightest erstwhile a week implicit the past year.

Workers accidental the quality to power shifts is besides a important payment to marque capable wealth to screen rent and different surviving expenses successful Southern California, arsenic immoderate are juggling different jobs. They besides said determination tin beryllium bureaucracy successful getting scheduling changes approved by a manager.

Huckaby-Budds said having paid parental permission was a important payment arsenic well, arsenic she recovers from an unplanned caesarean conception and her hubby has constricted parental leave.

Wages besides stay a cardinal contented successful the negotiations. The national said Disney has projected nary wage summation successful the archetypal twelvemonth of the contract.

Though Disney has not projected an contiguous wage increase, the institution is continuing to supply yearly increases to national workers arsenic negotiations progress, Jakary said. Last December, full- and part-time workers successful the bargaining portion got a 4% increase, she said.

The national said it plans to support negotiating.

“The information that I person fixed truthful overmuch clip to creating magical memories for people, and yet the institution can’t enactment idiosyncratic similar maine successful creating my ain household and making that a sustainable prime moving forward, it’s a disappointing point,” said Tiffany Dunn, a 34-year-old who works successful the quality operations section astatine Disneyland.