1,700 Disneyland Cast Members To Be Represented by Actors’ Equity Association Union

We think Disneyland would be a fun place to work!

Sleeping Beauty Castle

As Disney fans, we would love to work in the Happiest Place on Earth, and hopefully, those who do work there enjoy it. These individuals are called Cast Members, and they’re some of our favorite people. Now, it appears that certain Cast Members in Disneyland will soon have their own representation within a Union!

Cast Members who work in the Characters and Parades departments in Disneyland have announced that they are forming a new union called “Magic United.” They plan to work with the Actors’ Equity Association (Equity), which is a national union that currently “represents 51,000 professional actors and stage managers on Broadway and in live theatre across the United States.”

©Equity Magic United

Union authorization cards have been handed out to around 1,700 Cast Members. The new union is looking for “voluntary recognition from Disney Resort Entertainment” after most of the Cast Members have signed. Equity has stated that if Disney does not choose to recognize the union, then they will file the cards with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

A parade in Disneyland

At that point, the NLRB will require the company to sit down with Equity’s representative to negotiate a contract.

Kate Shindle, Equity’s President, stated, “Disneyland is a very special place, where Cast Members create magic that attracts millions of guests every year. 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 February 7.”

Goofy in Disneyland

Shindle also mentioned that “Equity already represents hundreds of performers at Walt Disney World in Orlando, and we have a long and successful bargaining relationship with Disney.”

Cast Members in Disneyland who are part of the Characters and Parades departments commonly perform multiple roles, often across departments. The union is seeking a way to “ensure that the park is a safer, more sustainable place to build careers and share magic with guests from all over the world.”