Topic overview
In brief
- Magic United, representing 1,700 Disneyland cast members, is negotiating its first contract with Disney.
- Disney has proposed eliminating paid parental leave and offering no wage increases in the first year of the contract.
- The outcome of these negotiations will significantly impact the working conditions and benefits for Disneyland cast members.
Summary
In California, Disneyland's Characters and Parades union, Magic United, is currently negotiating its first contract with Disney. This union represents approximately 1,700 cast members who were previously nonunion until they organized in 2024 due to the rising cost of living following the pandemic. The negotiations have been contentious, with Disney proposing to eliminate paid parental leave and offering no wage increases in the first year of the contract, despite the high inflation and cost of living in Orange County. The union argues that these proposals would strip away existing benefits that workers currently enjoy.
Disney contends that it is not eliminating benefits but rather negotiating initial terms of employment for the newly formed union. The company has stated that it has continued to provide annual increases to the bargaining unit as negotiations progress, although it has not proposed an immediate wage increase. Disney also claims that it has not suggested limiting the ability to trade shifts but is instead proposing to restrict the number of times a cast member can give away a shift without managerial approval.