NEWS: Cast Member Unions Reach Tentative Agreement With Disney Avoiding Strike

An upcoming Disneyland crisis MAY have been averted.

Sleeping Beauty Castle

Last month, 99% of the members of four unions representing more than 14,000 Disneyland Resort Cast Members voted to authorize a strike. At the time, the Disney Workers Rising Bargaining Committee said in a statement, “Instead of working with us toward a fair contract, Disney has engaged in multiple instances of conduct we allege are unfair labor practices, including unlawful discipline and intimidation and surveillance of union members exercising their right to wear union buttons at work.” Once the strike authorization was passed, the work stoppage could have occurred at any time. However, recent news gives us hope that a fair resolution is on the horizon.

On July 24th, reports emerged that Disney and the bargaining committee had reached a tentative agreement. Disney Workers Rising released a statement on their X (formerly Twitter) account that read “Tentative Agreement Reached on our Disney Contracts. We have fought hard for the past four months and this tentative agreement would not have been possible without the strength we showed this past week with our rally and Unfair Labor Practice vote.” In a further post, they wrote, “We achieved our goals – a 3-year contract that contains significant wage increases for all cast members, seniority increases and additional premiums as well as the retention of premiums. We also addressed issues that will make the attendance policy work better for cast members.”

We achieved our goals – a 3-year contract that contains significant wage increases for all cast members, seniority increases and additional premiums as well as the retention of premiums. We also addressed issues that will make the attendance policy work better for cast members.

— DisneyWorkersRising (@disneyrising24) July 24, 2024

The group released a further statement, where they stated, “We have shown Disney that we are the true magic makers of the park and today proves that when workers stand together for what they deserve, we win. We look forward to making our voices heard during the voting process to ratify this contract.”

The vote to ratify the proposed agreement will take place on July 29th.

Disney released a statement in response to the tentative agreement which read, “On July 24, the Disneyland Resort and the Master Services Council reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract. Cast Members in Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park will have the opportunity to vote on the agreement on Monday, July 29. We care deeply about the wellbeing of our cast members and are pleased to have reached a tentative agreement with Master Services Council that addresses what matters most to our cast while positioning Disneyland Resort for future growth and job creation.”

NEW: Disneyland Resort confirms they reached a tentative agreement with the Master Services Council on a new three-year contract. pic.twitter.com/c2AMhrXFuy

— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) July 24, 2024

While the agreement still needs to be approved by union members on July 29th, it seems that Disneyland will avoid its first work stoppage in 40 years, and. — more importantly — the resort’s Cast Members have received a fair deal to better their working conditions. Stay tuned to AllEars for further coverage of these issues.