Disneyland characters, parade Cast Members seek to unionize

Cast Members who work in the Disneyland resort’s Characters and Parades departments announced they are circulating authorization cards to unionize with Actors’ Equity Association.

Equity is the national union representing 51,000 professional actors and stage managers on Broadway and live theatre across the United States, including the performers at Walt Disney World in Florida.

A group of Cast Members calling themselves Magic United has begun circulating union authorization cards to 1,700 Cast Members and will seek voluntary recognition from Disney Resort Entertainment when a majority of the workers have signed. If the company declines to recognize the union, Equity will then file the cards with the National Labor Relations Board. Upon receiving the “petition,” the NLRB will schedule a union recognition election for Cast Members in the Character and Parades Departments. Under federal labor law, the company will be required to sit down with Equity’s representatives at the bargaining table and negotiate a contract following a vote in favor of unionization.

The bargaining unit includes Cast Members in the Characters department who help bring beloved characters to life in shows, meet and greets and character dining experiences. Others signing union authorization cards include parade performers who make the Disney experience real as they cheer and dance through the parks, spreading the magic with every step. Also included in the bargaining unit are Hosts, Trainers, Leads and other roles that support their fellow Cast Members. 

“Disneyland is a very special place, where Cast Members create magic that attracts millions of guests every year. Disney workers are openly and powerfully invested in and loyal to the Walt Disney Company and its values; so it’s reasonable for them to expect ‘the happiest place on earth’ to pay them fairly and prioritize their health and safety. Unionizing is the collective pathway to ensuring that the magic makers share not only in the happiness, but in the $9.13 billion in quarterly ‘experience’ revenue that Disney announced to its shareholders on February 7,” said Actors’ Equity Association President Kate Shindle.

The Disneyland Resort, which includes Disneyland Park and Disney’s California Adventure as well as three hotels and Downtown Disney, opened in 1955 and has become one of the most attended themed entertainment attractions in the world. Most of the Disneyland workforce is unionized, with those working in Characters and Parades being a notable exception – particularly notable given that their colleagues doing the same work in Florida have been unionized for decades.

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,” according to the leaders of Magic United in a statement.