NEWS: 9,000 Women File Lawsuit Against Disney Over Pay Disparity

By Aryiel Astolfi 1 Comment

While Disney is currently celebrating its 100th anniversary, the company has been making headlines for some not-so-celebratory news in recent months.

©Disney

From CEO Bob Iger’s comments on Disney’s “woke agenda” to his and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ feud over the former Reedy Creek Improvement District, a lot is going on for the company at the moment. Now, a new report shows that a class action lawsuit against Disney regarding a pay disparity is in the works.

According to Variety, a judge has allowed 9,000 women to sue Disney in a class action lawsuit, alleging that the company paid these women less than their male counterparts. The lawsuit is the largest ever certified under California’s Equal Pay Act, which states that an employer may not pay a worker less based on race, ethnicity, or sex.

©Disney | Walt Disney Company Headquarters

Lori Andrus, the plaintiffs’ attorney, stated that “Disney has been gaslighting these women for four years.” She continued, “They love their jobs. They love the brand. But they want to be respected and treated the way they should be in the workplace.”

Walt Disney Company Headquarters ©LA Times

The lawsuit includes female employees who have worked for the company in California since 2015 in a non-union position below the level of vice president. “It covers employees from the Disneyland hotels and theme park, the cruise line, the Disney film and TV studios, ABC, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and other units. It does not include Pixar, ESPN, Hulu, Fox, or FX.”

Disney California Adventure

Andrus has argued that the starting pay across the class is 2% lower for women than men. However, Disney’s attorney, Felicia Davis, states that the plaintiffs are trying to compare salaries across thousands of job groups, “which reflect the decentralized decisions of thousands of managers.”

Disneyland Resort

According to Davis, two employees who share a job family and level do not necessarily have “substantially similar” work, but Andrus maintains that there has been discrimination against women. A status conference will take place on February 9th, and a trial will follow sometime before October.

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