NEWS: Disneyland Not Required to Comply with $18 Minimum Wage Ballot Measure

In 2019, Disneyland Resort was sued for not raising wages in accordance with a new Anaheim “living wage” ballot measure.

In 2018, this new ballot measure established a minimum wage guideline for select businesses in Anaheim, and a judge has recently determined that Disneyland is not required to follow this measure.

In November 2018, Anaheim residents voted to pass a ballot measure that would require certain businesses to rase wages to at least $18 by 2022. This measure applies specifically to businesses receiving subsidies from the City of Anaheim, and Disneyland Resort employees and supporting unions sued Disneyland in 2019 for not following this new measure.

According to the Orange County Register, a judge ruled on October 29th that Disneyland is not required to follow this ballot measure. While Disneyland does benefit from a 1996 Anaheim agreement that allows them to use hotel taxes to pay the debt of the Mickey & Friends Parking Structure, Orange County Superior Court Judge William D. Claster ruled that this does not qualify as a subsidy or tax rebate.

As reported by the Orange County Register, Anaheim spokesman Mike Lyster said, “…the city of Anaheim does not provide any rebate or subsidy to Disney,” and noted that the 1997 Disneyland expansion was a “public-private partnership” with the City of Anaheim with a shared goal to stimulate the Anaheim visitor economy. Check back with All Ears for more Disneyland news.