Disneyland employees vote on strike after slow negotiations

A union coalition representing thousands of Disneyland employees will vote next week on whether to authorize a strike after unsuccessful negotiations with Disney.

The vote comes after the coalition recently filed complaints with the National Labor Relations Board alleging labor rights violations against the company. The group represents about 14,000 employees at both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure parks, as well as Disney hotels and the Downtown Disney shopping mall.

“We will not accept less than we deserve because we know how much we are worth to Disney,” the Disney Workers Rising Bargaining Committee said in a press release Tuesday. “By undermining our rights, Disney has only made our fight to help our guests and keep our parks safe even more difficult. That’s why we are forced to vote next week on whether to authorize a strike after our collective bargaining agreement expires.”

The committee stated that Disney had unlawfully disciplined, intimidated and monitored union members for “exercising their right to wear union badges at work.”

Negotiations began in April, with the latest taking place on Monday. Disney wrote on its website that the company is committed to reaching an agreement that focuses on “what matters most to our current Cast Members, what helps us attract new Cast Members, and what positions Disneyland Resort for growth and the creation of more jobs.”

Disney says union badges violate the park guest code of conduct

Disney argues that the union badges, which show Mickey Mouse with his gloved hand clenched in a fist, violate the park’s dress code.

On July 1, union members handed out pins to guests outside the entrance to the Downtown Disney shopping center that connects the two theme parks in Anaheim, California, and asked them to show their solidarity by signing a petition and wearing the pins.

Cindy Marquez, a member of the bargaining committee, said talks with the company were “moving slower than a turtle,” adding that it could take more than 25 more meetings before workers receive a living wage.

“The unions have basically put Disney on notice that we’re at a dead end until they get serious about this,” Marquez told USA TODAY on July 1. “A company can’t thrive if the work down at the base isn’t being done. It shouldn’t just be the top getting rich, it should spread throughout the park, and that way you come to work happy, healthy and ready to go.”

64% of Disneyland employees are “rent burdened”

Higher wages are among the union members’ key goals. The coalition says 64 percent of workers are rent-burdened and nearly one in three are food insecure.

Hilary Plata, a host at the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, previously told USA TODAY that she has worked at the park for 18 years and even lived in her car for over a month when she couldn’t afford to live in Southern California despite working 50-hour weeks.

“I make a career out of making people happy. I make a living making dreams come true, and that may sound cheesy and a little embarrassing, but that’s what I do. That’s what people come to Disneyland for,” Plata said. “They come for the kindness and they come for the magic. And that’s what we offer. And we deserve fair pay, we deserve fair treatment. We deserve to be seen as real people.”

Disneyland employees’ contracts expired on June 16, and Disney California Adventure and Downtown Disney cast members’ contracts expire on September 30.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Disneyland workers vote to strike after filing labor lawsuits