Disneyland Resort and union settle 4-year labor dispute
Ending a four-year dispute, Disneyland Resort in Anaheim has reached a five-year contract agreement with 2,100 hotel workers.
The contract, which covers housekeepers, food and beverage workers, front-desk staff and other hourly workers at the Disneyland Hotel, the Grand Californian Hotel and the Paradise Pier Hotel, includes wage increases and a decreased workload for housekeepers.
Negotiations had bogged down recently over healthcare cost increases in Disneyland’s proposed contracts. The agreement also gives workers a choice to remain in the union healthcare plan, with employee contributions of $7 to $10 per week, or transition to one of Disney’s healthcare programs and be eligible for a one-time bonus.
The labor union, Unite Here Local 11, contended that the workers could not afford the increases and organized several protests at the theme park and other Disney properties.
During one demonstration at Disney studios in Burbank, the workers protested when the Disney-Pixar movie “Toy Story 3” was nominated for several Academy Awards.
“We’re extremely pleased that the Disneyland Resort hotel cast members represented by Unite Here Local 11 have overwhelmingly supported this fair and comprehensive agreement,” Tony Bruno, vice president of Disneyland Resort Hotels and Downtown Disney, said in a statement.
“It was a long road, but in the end both sides compromised to reach a fair deal,” said Tom Walsh, president of Unite Here Local 11.
The new contract also provides job security and seniority protection for full-time and part-time workers. The deal, however, does not address an electronic scoreboard installed last year at two of the hotels to monitor workers’ productivity and speed. Workers have blasted the scoreboard, calling it an “electronic whip.”
Ada Briceno, secretary-treasurer of the union’s local chapter, said she hopes Disneyland and the union can now work to settle several other outstanding issues, including the productivity scoreboard.
