Disneyland, actors' union clash over parental leave, benefits as union negotiates first contract

Magic United, an affiliate of Actors' Equity representing 1,700 parade, show and character cast members at Disneyland, and Disney are in the midst of negotiations on a first contract, and they're telling Fox News Digital it's not going smoothly.While most Disneyland employees have been represented by unions for decades, the Characters and Parades department remained nonunion until workers voted to organize in 2024 amid California’s cost-of-living crisis after the pandemic.This has led to negotiations between the newly formed union and Disney in order to negotiate a first contract both parties can agree on.Because this is the workers' first union contract, both sides disagree over how to characterize Disney's proposals.

Disney argues it is negotiating the initial terms of employment rather than eliminating existing union benefits.The union counters that workers currently receive benefits such as paid parental leave, so excluding them from the first contract would effectively mean employees lose those benefits.The Los Angeles Times noted that, "Although the union said it has been getting movement on a number of health and safety issues, there are other points in contention, including the amount the company matches for employee contributions to their 401(k) retirement savings plans and a proposal that limits the number of times a worker can give away a shift without managerial approval."DISNEYLAND MAY SCRAP LONG-STANDING PARK RULE THAT FRUSTRATED VISITORSThe union to represent Disneyland's character and parade performers only formed recently after the COVID-19 pandemic.

(Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)Fox News Digital contacted both parties about the ongoing negotiations, recalling founder Walt Disney’s famous anecdote about having founded the Disneyland park as a place where parents and their children can have fun together, asking whether Disney is fulfilling that mission as negotiations continue."Disneyland is often presen...