Disneyland, one of the most popular destinations for families, has long provided the employees behind its parades and costumed characters with paid leave in the weeks after they become new parents.
But now those full-time and part-time workers, organized under the union Actors’ Equity Assn., say Disney has threatened to take that benefit away, as they negotiate a new contract that includes proposals for higher wages, among other items.
The 1,700 workers in the unit known as Magic United began bargaining their first contract in October 2024 and have yet to reach agreement with Disney over key issues. They are the people supporting Disneyland’s parades, shows and character operations, including some who perform as iconic characters such as Mickey Mouse, Snow White and Cinderella.
They organized over several issues, including safety and health concerns. The start rate for parade and pageant helpers is $26 an hour, while the start rate for stage scheduling assistants is $28.25 an hour, according to the union. About 60% of the unit are part-time workers.
Disney’s current proposal does not include paid parental leave, eliminates a paid holiday and reduces how much Disney matches employee contributions to their 401(k) plans, union members said.
A Disney manager under the direction of Christie Sutherland, head of labor relations at Disney Experiences, wrote to Actors’ Equity leadership saying, “Our proposal does not include Paid Parental Leave,” according to an April 6 email viewed by The Times, which the union provided in response to a statement from the company. The manager also said the company’s proposal includes cutting the number of paid holidays for Magic United full-time workers from 12 to 11.
Disneyland Resort spokeswoman Jessica Jakary said proposals may change and noted that the bargaining unit is new and that the ongoing contract negotiations are establishing initial employment terms and conditions for the first time, rather than modifying an existing contract. As a result, no benefits were being cut, she said. The 11 holidays match the benefit that more than 80% of Disneyland Resort employees receive, Jakary said.
“Disneyland Resort values its cast members, offers competitive benefits and is proud of its long history of working collaboratively with the unions that represent them,” Jakary said.
Union leaders reject that framing.
“They are trying to strip away the very things that make the Disneyland experience what it is,” said Al Vincent Jr., Actors’ Equity’s executive director. “When you propose to take away paid parental leave from those who work day in and day out to give other families great experiences, that’s not family friendly.”
The workers received paid parental leave before they organized, under terms Disney set on its own. Once they voted to unionize, the company and the union began negotiating a first contract from the ground up, a process in which existing benefits carry no guarantee. That is why Disney can say no benefits are being cut while workers say they are losing them.
Disney currently provides up to eight weeks of paid parental leave. Union workers can also apply for state financial assistance for family leave, which can temporarily replace 70% to 90% of a worker’s salary, depending on their income.
Last year, 25 people in the unit took baby bonding leave, according to the union. In its fiscal second quarter, Disney’s domestic parks and experiences division generated $6.9 billion, up 6% from a year earlier.
“We’re not asking for the moon,” said Courtney Griffith, a 28-year-old who performs at Disney parades and shows, including “Fantasmic!” “We give our all to performing to make sure the guests have the best experience they possibly can because we grew up having the best experience. We just want to be invested in the way that we invest in this company.”
“We’re not asking for the moon,” said Courtney Griffith, 28, who performs at Disney parades and shows.
(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)
Other unionized workers at Disney properties receive paid parental leave. For example, unionized character actors at Florida’s Walt Disney World Resort under the Teamsters and Disneyland assistant stage managers organized under IATSE Local 504 in California receive those benefits. Jakary noted that Florida does not provide state disability payments for parental leave as California does.
“The existence of state disability for parental leave in California has not previously been a factor preventing the company from offering this benefit to these workers, so it’s not an excuse for eliminating that benefit,” Actors’ Equity said in a statement.
Although the union said it has been getting movement on a number of health and safety issues, there are other points in contention, including the amount the company matches for employee contributions to their 401(k) retirement savings plans and a proposal that limits the number of times a worker can give away a shift without managerial approval. Disney’s current proposal also eliminates Easter as a paid holiday, the union said.
“It feels like the benefits and the perks that we have enjoyed for a long time keep vanishing,” said Todd Stubbler, a 61-year-old pageant helper who has worked at Disneyland for close to 35 years.
Madison Huckaby-Budds said the ability to trade or give away shifts was helpful when she was pregnant. The Disneyland entertainment host gave birth to a baby boy in July. Before going on maternity leave, she was able to switch shifts with co-workers to avoid places like Mickey’s House in Toontown, which has a lot of stairs and requires physical movement of items that could be challenging for her while pregnant.
“The benefit of Disney’s flexibility of finding coverage like that was huge for me to be able to continue to do all the things that I do,” said Huckaby-Budds, adding that she has switched shifts at least once a week over the last year.
Workers say the ability to switch shifts is also a crucial benefit to make enough money to cover rent and other living expenses in Southern California, as some are juggling other jobs. They also said there can be bureaucracy in getting scheduling changes approved by a manager.
Huckaby-Budds said having paid parental leave was a crucial benefit as well, as she recovers from an unplanned caesarean section and her husband has limited parental leave.
Wages also remain a key issue in the negotiations. The union said Disney has proposed no pay increase in the first year of the contract.
Though Disney has not proposed an immediate wage increase, the company is continuing to provide annual increases to union workers as negotiations progress, Jakary said. Last December, full- and part-time workers in the bargaining unit got a 4% increase, she said.
The union said it plans to keep negotiating.
“The fact that I have given so much time to creating magical memories for people, and yet the company can’t support someone like me in creating my own family and making that a sustainable choice moving forward, it’s a disappointing point,” said Tiffany Dunn, a 34-year-old who works in the character operations department at Disneyland.
