Disneyland artists vote to unionize

Workers who portray iconic Disney characters and perform in parades at the entertainment giant’s theme parks in Southern California. voted to join the Actors Equity Association, the union announced Saturday evening.

In a vote by the National Labor Relations Board, 79 percent of Disneyland Resort cast members voted in favor of joining Equity, with 953 voting for and 258 against, the union said.

If there are no election challenges, the vote will be certified within a week, Equity said.

“The next step will be to work with them (workers) to improve health and safety, wages, benefits, working conditions and job security,” said the Actors’ president. Equity Association, Kate Shindle, in a statement. “After that, we will meet with representatives of the Walt Disney Company to negotiate these priorities into an initial contract.”

Equity already represents artists at Walt Disney World in Orlando, as well as those at Disney on Broadway.

Most of the more than 35,000 workers at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, home to the company’s first theme park, are already unionized. Parade and character workers announced plans to unionize in February to address safety and scheduling concerns, among other things.

Employees at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim who play characters have been non-union employees since Disneyland opened in 1955, Equity said.

Disney has a large presence in Anaheim, where it operates two theme parks – Disneyland and Disney California Adventure – as well as a shopping and entertainment area called Downtown Disney. Disneyland, the company’s oldest park, was the second most visited theme park in the world in 2022, welcoming 16.8 million people, according to a report from the Themed Entertainment Association and AECOM.

Equity, founded in 1913, claims to represent more than 51,000 actors and managers nationwide.