DIXLESYCS fo hte WROLD UNTIE! re: Solidarity of Rugs

https://ktla.com/entertainment/ap-entertainment/ap-disneylands-mickey-mouse-and-cinderella-performers-may-unionize/
DISNEYLAND’S MICKEY MOUSE AND CINDERELLA PERFORMERS MAY UNIONIZE
FILE PHOTO– Mickey Mouse interacts with guests at Disneyland in Anaheim, 
Calif., Friday, April 30, 2021. A group of performers who help bring 
Disney’s beloved characters to life at the company’s California theme 
parks are forming a union. While most workers at Disneyland and Disney 
California Adventure already have unions, these roughly 1,700 performers 
do not, including those who play Mickey Mouse and other iconic 
characters in meet-and-greets with guests and parades. (AP Photo/Jae C. 
Hong, File)
by: AMY TAXIN, Associated Press	
Posted: Feb 13, 2024 / 12:46 PM PST	
Updated: Feb 13, 2024 / 12:50 PM PST	
Workers who help bring Disneyland’s beloved characters to life — 
including Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Cinderella — are looking to 
unionize.
Labor organizers announced the campaign Tuesday, saying performers want 
better safety conditions and scheduling policies to help them keep the 
magic alive for visitors.
While most of the more than 35,000 workers at the Disneyland Resort in 
Southern California already have labor unions, about 1,700 performers in 
parades, character actors and support staff do not.
“This isn’t one of those situations where we’re out making 
the employer the bad guy,” said Kate Shindle, president of Actors’ 
Equity Association, which would represent the performers. “It is 
uniquely important Disney remains a place that people view as magical, 
and I think that (unionizing) will improve that across the board.”
Union membership has been on a decades-long decline in the United 
States, but organizations have seen growing public support in recent 
years amid high-profile contract negotiations involving Hollywood 
studios and Las Vegas hotels. The National Labor Relations Board, the 
federal agency that protects workers’ right to organize, reported more 
than 2,500 filings for union representation during the 2023 fiscal year, 
the highest number in eight years.
Disney operates two theme parks — Disneyland and Disney California 
Adventure — and a shopping and entertainment area called Downtown Disney 
in Anaheim, California. Disneyland, the company’s oldest park, was the 
second-most visited theme park worldwide in 2022 with 16.8 million 
people coming through the gates, according to a report by the Themed 
Entertainment Association and AECOM.
Union cards were circulated starting last week to promote forming a 
labor union under the Actors’ Equity Association, which traditionally 
represents actors and stage managers. The group already represents 
theatrical performers at Walt Disney Co.’s Florida theme parks, 
organizers told The Associated Press.
Actors’ Equity officials declined to say how many cards were 
returned but said they hoped to collect them from more than half the 
performers, which would let them ask Disney to voluntarily recognize the 
union rather having to seek a vote through the National Labor Relations 
Board. They expect the process will take weeks.
Disneyland officials said in a statement that they believe cast members 
deserve the right to a confidential vote.
Those who want to form the union, which they are calling “Magic United,” 
are seeking to address safety issues in costuming, such as keeping items 
clean and using appropriate fabrics for high-intensity dancing. They 
also want more stable scheduling. The group began organizing over health 
and safety concerns that arose when the park started allowing visitors 
to interact closely with characters again after the pandemic shutdown, 
Shindle said.
Some performers are also concerned about being asked to wear tights and 
make-up that don’t match their skin tones, erratic and unpredictable 
staffing and fair pay. Still, they said they relish working at the 
parks, where they play a unique role in creating the Disney experience, 
union officials said.
“We have to consistently be living and breathing the Disney brand or 
else the product suffers,” said Logan Benedict, a performer and union 
negotiator at Disney World in Florida, who has been supporting the 
organizing effort in California. “It’s vital that Disney takes care of 
their frontline workers.”
The union has advised California workers not to speak on the record 
about unionizing, said David Levy, an Actors’ Equity spokesperson.
In California, Disney’s cleaning crews, food service workers, 
pyrotechnic specialists and security staff are already unionized. The 
company has faced allegations in recent years of not paying workers 
enough to live in Southern California, despite Disney raking in profits. 
Wage issues have even wound up in the courts.
Last week, Disney reported stronger-than-expected earnings for the last 
three months of 2023, boosted by cost cuts and growing revenue from 
theme parks.
The effort to organize performers in the character and parade 
departments in California comes more than 40 years after those who play 
Mickey, Goofy and Donald Duck at Disney World in Florida were organized 
in the early 1980s by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a 
union traditionally known to represent transportation workers.
At that time, the Florida performers complained about filthy costumes 
and abuse from guests, such as children who would kick the shins of 
Disney villains like Captain Hook or others who grabbed the chests of 
Mickey Mouse performers to see if they were a male or female.
—
Taxin reported from Santa Ana, California. Associated Press writer Mike 
Schneider in Orlando, Florida, also contributed to this report.<a 
href="https://www.youtube.com/user/KTLA/videos">yt</a></li>
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may 
not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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https://ktla.com/news/local-news/disneyland-characters-and-parade-cast-members-announce-plans-to-unionize/
  DISNEYLAND CHARACTERS AND PARADE CAST MEMBERS ANNOUNCE PLANS TO UNIONIZE
by: Iman Palm	
Posted: Feb 13, 2024 / 01:55 PM PST	
Updated: Feb 13, 2024 / 04:29 PM PST	
Disneyland cast members, particularly those who work in the resort’s 
Characters and Parades departments, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" 
href="https://www.actorsequity.org/news/PR/MagicUnited/" data-type="URL" 
data-id="https://www.actorsequity.org/news/PR/MagicUnited/" 
target="_blank">announced their intent to unionize</a> with the Actors’ 
Equity Association, also known as Equity, on Tuesday.
Known as “<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://magicunited.org/" 
data-type="URL" data-id="https://magicunited.org/" target="_blank">Magic 
United</a>,” cast members who work in the departments began circulating 
union authorization cards to 1,700 of their colleagues and will “seek 
voluntary recognition from Disney Resort Entertainment when a majority 
of the workers have signed,” according to a news release from Equity.
Employees within the Character and Parade departments <a rel="noreferrer 
noopener" 
href="https://ktla.com/news/theme-parks/disneyland/characters-from-turning-red-set-to-debut-at-disney-california-adventure-park/" 
data-type="URL" 
data-id="https://ktla.com/news/theme-parks/disneyland/characters-from-turning-red-set-to-debut-at-disney-california-adventure-park/" 
target="_blank">&#8220;create Disney magic for guests by bringing 
beloved characters to life in shows</a>, meet and greets and character 
dining experiences,&#8221; the release adds.
Hosts, trainers, leads and other roles that support fellow cast members 
are also included in the bargaining unit.
The concerns among cast members noted in the statement revolve around 
“safe and sanitary workplace conditions, a fair wage and more 
transparency in scheduling and rehiring decisions.”
“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,” leaders of Magic United said in a statement.
It’s important to note that other departments around the Disneyland 
Resort, like <a rel="noreferrer noopener" 
href="https://workersunited.org/joint-boards/local-50" data-type="URL" 
data-id="https://workersunited.org/joint-boards/local-50" 
target="_blank">food and beverage</a>, have also unionized, and 
Character and Parade cast members at Walt Disney World in Florida have 
been <a rel="noreferrer noopener" 
href="https://apnews.com/article/disney-labor-performers-characters-union-california-83e58888ec87bd3003a2e60256180506" 
data-type="URL" 
data-id="https://apnews.com/article/disney-labor-performers-characters-union-california-83e58888ec87bd3003a2e60256180506" 
target="_blank">unionized since the early 1980s.</a>
The union creation isn’t a done deal yet. If Disney declines to 
recognize the union, Equity will then file the authorization cards with 
the National Labor Relations Board.
“Upon receiving the &#8216;petition,&#8217; 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 states.
In a statement to KTLA, Disneyland officials said, “We believe that our 
Cast Members deserve to have all the facts and the right to a 
confidential vote that recognizes their individual choices.”
Equity also represents 51,000 professional actors and stage managers on 
Broadway and live theatre across the U.S.</body>
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https://ktla.com/news/local-news/disneyland-characters-and-parade-cast-members-announce-plans-to-unionize/

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