Big A Workers Lose Bid to Delay Disney

Attorneys for seven former Anaheim Stadium workers failed in a last-ditch legal effort Monday to prevent the Walt Disney Co. from taking over operation of the Big A and beginning work on a $100-million renovation.

Disney, as part of its purchase of the California Angels baseball team last spring, officially began running the stadium at 12:01 a.m. today. The company was granted permission by Orange County Superior Court Judge William F. McDonald to immediately proceed with the renovation work, which is expected to take 18 months.

During a brief court hearing Monday, attorneys representing the Anaheim Municipal Employees Assn. sought a temporary restraining order halting the renovation work, as well as the change in management, until a full-scale hearing on their case is held Oct. 11.

Disney and city attorneys argued that if the renovation work were postponed until after the hearing, the delays would cost Disney $10 million and the city $1 million because it could have pushed work back for a year.

McDonald denied the union’s request for the restraining order after receiving assurances from the city and Disney that none of the workers would lose their jobs before the Oct. 11 hearing.

At that hearing, union officials say they will argue that the city violated its collective bargaining agreement with union employees when it agreed to let Disney run the stadium without consulting with them.

They also allege that Anaheim officials violated city law by not putting the renovation project out for competitive bid.

City Attorney Jack L. White said the union’s case is “totally baseless and without merit.”

White said the city met with union officials on three occasions before the agreement with Disney was finalized in mid-May. He also said the renovation could not have gone out to competitive bid because the Angels had a lease to occupy the stadium until 2001.

The seven former stadium employees have been assigned to temporary positions elsewhere in the city. They face possible layoff within 90 days if permanent positions for them are not found elsewhere in the city.

In all, 22 full-time employees are affected by the change in management. In addition to the seven whose jobs remain uncertain, four were retained at the stadium by Disney, nine were transferred to full-time jobs elsewhere in the city, one retired and another quit.