NEWS: Disneyland Cast Members Form Labor Union

Performers at Disneyland Resort announced today that they intend to unionize.

Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland

Actors’ Equity Association — the same union that represents performers and stage managers at Disney World, on Broadway, and in many live theater productions across the United States — will represent the Disneyland employees.

The new Cast Member unionization effort calls itself “Magic United.” The group plans to represent entertainment cast members to include theatrical performers, parade performers, character performers, and host, leads and trainers that support the entertainment department, as well.

Birthday Parade for Mickey and Minnie in Disneyland!

Leaders are circulating union authorization cards to 1,700 Cast Members who would be eligible to join the union. If a majority of the workers sign, the union will ask Disney to recognize the union. Most of the 35,000 employees at Disneyland Resort are already represented by labor unions, as are the majority of the 70,000 employees at Disney World.

Performers at Disney World are already represented by the Actor’s Equity Association.

“Equity already represents hundreds of performers at Walt Disney World in Orlando, and we have a long and successful bargaining relationship with Disney,” said Actors’ Equity Association President Kate Shindle. “We look forward to extending that work to include these Cast Members in Anaheim and applaud them for their incredible work on the campaign thus far.”

Rogers the Musical stage show at Disney California Adventure

If Disney does not voluntarily authorize the union, Actor’s Equity representatives will follow a petitioning process established by the National Labor Relations Board, the union said today in a statement.

“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,” Magic United said today in a statement.