Disney, Union Leaders Defend Contract Action : Labor: Park spokesman calls terms twice rejected by workers ‘fair and equitable.’ But some employees say they feel cheated.

Despite complaints from some workers, Disneyland management Tuesday said that union leaders had taken the “appropriate” action in accepting a contract offer that was twice rejected by a majority of voting members.

“We feel it’s a fair and equitable contract,” said Tom Brocato, a Disneyland spokesman. “We’re very pleased by it.”

On Monday, leaders of five unions representing 3,000 workers at the Anaheim park decided to sign a negotiated contract proposal, overriding the majority rejection of the offer by members on two separate occasions.

The move is rarely seen in organized labor, and it was the first time such an action had been taken in the 40-year history of labor relations at Disneyland. But the five-union negotiating committee argued that it had little choice given that the unions did not have the weapon of a strike, because fewer than two-thirds of the voters rejected the contract.

Union leaders, who had declined comment earlier, stood by their decision Tuesday.

Mort Baum, a leader of the five-member negotiating committee, said that while some members voiced concerns Tuesday, most appeared relieved to have the contract settled.

“The majority of people are happy to get the issue behind them and are looking forward to moving ahead,” he said.

But the reaction among workers at the Anaheim park was far from unified.

On one side were those who spoke harshly against their union leaders, saying they felt cheated by their employer, their union or both.

“They [the unions] just care about what they think,” said Connie, a custodian with Service Employees International Local 399, who declined to give her last name. “They should have talked to us first before accepting the contract. Why should we vote? We voted ‘no’ and the union officials just look to their own conveniences.”

But other workers stood behind the unions’ negotiating committee, a team of about 30 people, most of them rank-and-filers who work at Disneyland.

“We have to accept it,” said Diane Sekala, a tour guide with Teamsters Local 495. “Three percent is just fine,” she said, referring to the 3% annual wage increase provided under the new three-year contract.

Times staff writer Don Lee contributed to this report.