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Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, other characters may unionize at Disneyland

Anaheim, CA USA - March 16, 2011: Disneyland theme park with a retro Disneyland Sign with Flags in front
Disneyland File photo. Disneyland theme park with a retro Disneyland sign with flags in front (manley099/Getty Images)
(manley099/Getty Images)

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Cast members at Disneyland announced Tuesday their plans to unionize with the Actors’ Equity Association, also known as Equity.

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Equity announced that cast members and performers are seeking better safety conditions as well as scheduling policies, according to The Associated Press. Equity represents around 51,000 actors and stage managers both Broadway as well as live theatre across the nation, according to KTLA.

The group seeking to unionize has around 1,700 cast members, according to The Hollywood Reporter. They are also looking for increased wages.

The group called themselves “Magic United,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. They are looking for voluntary recognition from Disney. If they do not get recognized as a union, Equity is expected to file the authorization cards with the National Labor Relations Board, according to KTLA.

“Upon receiving the ‘petition,’ the NLRB will schedule a union recognition election for Cast Members in the Character and Parades Departments. The company will be required under federal labor law to sit down with Equity’s representatives at the bargaining table and negotiate a contract, following a vote in favor of unionization,” the release says, according to the news outlet.

“Disneyland is a very special place, where Cast Members create magic that attracts millions of guests every year. Disney workers are openly and powerfully invested in and loyal to the Walt Disney Company and its values, so it’s reasonable for them to expect ‘the happiest place on earth’ to pay them fairly and prioritize their health and safety. Unionizing is the collective pathway to ensuring that the magic makers share not only in the happiness, but in the $9.13 billion in quarterly ‘experience’ revenue that Disney announced to its shareholders on February 7,” said Actors’ Equity Association President Kate Shindle. “Equity already represents hundreds of performers at Walt Disney World in Orlando, and we have a long and successful bargaining relationship with Disney. 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.”

“As the Entertainment Cast Members at the Disneyland Resort, it is time for us to come together as a union, to use our collective power to ensure that the park is a safer, more sustainable place to build careers and share magic with Guests from all over the world,” Magic United said in a statement through Equity. We chose Actors’ Equity Association as our union because we’ve seen how well they work with Disney in Florida, on Broadway and on tour. 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. Ultimately this will result in a better experience for all – Cast Members, managers and more importantly, our Guests.”

“We find inspiration in Disney every day, in the stories that we get to tell. Whether we are meeting Guests up close or dazzling them with a parade, we know we are making lifelong memories. And now, we’re laying the groundwork for the future of entertainment employment at the Disneyland Resort. With Magic United, we can work together with each other and with Disney leadership to ensure our talents remain central to the Disneyland experience for generations to come. We are the Magic! We are the union,” Magic United continued.

“We believe that our Cast Members deserve to have all the facts and the right to a confidential vote that recognizes their individual choices,” Disneyland officials said in a statement to KTLA.

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