Disneyland workers announce union plan

Disneyland employees who dress up as characters or perform in parades and other attractions announced today they are moving to unionize.

The employees -- known as cast members at the Anaheim theme park -- announced they were working to join the Actors' Equity Association union, which represents professional actors and stage managers on Broadway and live theaters across the country and at Disney World in Orlando.

The group, Magic United, has started sending out union authorization cards to the theme park's 1,700 affected employees. Magic United will ask Disneyland to approve the union, but if the company declines, it will file for authorization with the National Labor Relations Board, which would then schedule an election.  

"Disneyland is a very special place where cast members create magic that attracts millions of guests every year,'' Actors' Equity Association President Kate Shindle said. "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 Feb. 7.''

The Disneyland employees leading the union movement said they chose Actors' Equity Association because "we've seen how well they work with Disney in Florida, on Broadway and on tour."

In response to the effort, Disneyland officials issued a statement saying, "We believe that our Cast Members deserve to have all the facts and the right to a confidential vote that recognizes their individual choices."