Disneyland's costumed characters make family memories. Disney's contract proposal drops paid parental leave
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Set us as preferred Disneyland, one of the most popular destinations for families, has long provided the employees behind its parades and costumed characters with paid leave in the weeks after they become new parents.But now those full-time and part-time workers, organized under the union Actors’ Equity Assn., say Disney has threatened to take that benefit away, as they negotiate a new contract that includes proposals for higher wages, among other items.The 1,700 workers in the unit known as Magic United began bargaining their first contract in October 2024 and have yet to reach agreement with Disney over key issues.
They are the people supporting Disneyland’s parades, shows and character operations, including some who perform as iconic characters such as Mickey Mouse, Snow White and Cinderella.They organized over several issues, including safety and health concerns.
The start rate for parade and pageant helpers is $26 an hour, while the start rate for stage scheduling assistants is $28.25 an hour, according to the union.About 60% of the unit are part-time workers.Disney’s current proposal does not include paid parental leave, eliminates a paid holiday and reduces how much Disney matches employee contributions to their 401(k) plans, union members said.A Disney manager under the direction of Christie Sutherland, head of labor relations at Disney Experiences, wrote to Actors’ Equity leadership saying, “Our proposal does not include Paid Parental Leave,” according to an April 6 email viewed by The Times, which the union provided in response to a statement from the company.
The manager also said the company’s proposal includes cutting the number of paid holidays for Magic United full-time workers from 12 to 11.Disneyland Resort spokeswoman Jessica Jakary said proposals may change and noted that the bargaining uni...