Disneyland, Unions Avoid Strike With New Agreement

BURBANK, Calif.—After four months of talks, Disney has reached a tentative contract agreement with four unions representing thousands of its workers at the company’s California theme parks and resorts, avoiding a looming strike.

The tentative three-year agreement reached on July 23 must still be approved by the 14,000 members of the union coalition, in a vote set for July 29.

“We have fought hard for the past four months and this tentative agreement would not have been possible without the strength we showed this past week with our rally and Unfair Labor Practice vote,” Disney Workers Rising, a group representing the unions, wrote in a July 24 post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“We believe this three-year agreement meets our needs and delivers us the wages, seniority increases, premiums, and protections we deserve, but nothing is final until we all have a chance to review the offer and vote on it.”

United Service Workers West spokesman Sebastian Silva said the unions don’t plan to publicly release details of the proposed agreement until after members vote.

“Vote results and further information on the contract will be shared with the public after cast members have had a chance to review and vote on their contract,” Mr. Silva told The Epoch Times in a written statement.

About 80 percent of Disneyland’s workers in Southern California are represented by a coalition of unions, including the Teamsters Local 495, Bakery Confectionery, Tobacco Workers, Grain Millers Local 83, Service Employees International Union–United Service Workers West, and United Food and Commercial Workers Local 324.

The contract for nearly 14,000 employees at the Anaheim, California, theme parks expired on June 16 and union leaders declined to extend it, according to Disney.

Disneyland Resort management was pleased with the agreement, according to a statement issued on its website.

“We care deeply about the well-being of our cast members and are pleased to have reached a tentative agreement with Master Services Council that addresses what matters most to our cast while positioning Disneyland Resort for future growth and job creation,” Disneyland wrote in a website post on July 24.

The two sides met for negotiations on July 22 and July 23, hoping to hammer out an agreement after the union coalition approved a strike last week.

The agreement, if approved by union members, could avert the pending job walkout.

Negotiations between the two sides became heated last week after the unions claimed Disney violated labor law by “unlawfully disciplining cast members and intimidating and surveilling union members” who wore buttons at work, the unions claimed.

The buttons worn by some cast members while at work in the parks depicted Mickey Mouse’s white glove held up in a fist against a white background.

Disneyland disputed the claim, saying the parks have appearance guidelines rooted in the company’s history. Anything that distracts from the show or story is addressed by a company leader, and the pins weren’t part of the Disney Look costume, spokeswoman Jessica Good told The Epoch Times.

The company disciplined only a handful of employees, she said.