After lengthy negotiations, protests, and more, the OC Register reports that the Disneyland Resort has reached a new labor agreement with its largest unions and will raise wages for many workers.
- Effective immediately, workers covered under the new contract (approximately 8,600 Cast Members) will see wages increase from the current $11 an hour to $13.25 an hour.
- Additionally, wages will rise to $15 an hour starting in January 2019 and another 3% raise will take place in June 2020.
- In an e-mail, Disneyland Resort president Josh D’Amaro wrote, “The cost of living in Orange County is incredibly high. There are broad societal issues that communities are grappling with and no one company or entity alone can solve them. But we want to do our part. The resort is taking a leadership position on wages in O.C., and we are committed to providing not just an exceptional employment experience, but real, meaningful increases in pay as well.”
- Meanwhile, union negotiation leader Andrea Zinder said, “We are pleased this is a step in the right direction,” but continued, “Disney is a very wealthy company that had not been paying a fair wage for a long time. And Disney’s profits come from the image that these hard-working employees portray day in and day out. You still can’t live comfortably in Los Angeles or Orange County on $15 an hour.”
- Although the new contract applies to Cast Members in four of the resort’s largest unions, it does no apply to non-union workers or to other unions at the resort.
- It’s worth noting that a ballot initiative that will increase the minimum wage for hospitality workers that work for companies that receive economic assistance from the City of Anaheim will be voted on November 6th.
- If passed, the bill would increase the minimum wage for these workers to $15 an hour on January 1st, 2019, with additional $1 raises going into effect each January until 2022.