An estimated 25,000 Disneyland employees are suing the Disney Company over low pay in a massive class-action lawsuit.. In 2018 a survey stated that 11% of Disneyland employees said they had experienced homelessness in the past two years, 68% said they experienced food insecurity, and 73% said they do not make enough to cover basic living expenses. With the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic the Disney Parks were forced to close their doors for nearly a year, thus leading to over 30,000 employees loosing their jobs, some even going homeless.
A valet named Gabriel Sarracino, who signed onto the suit, had been working at the Disneyland Hotel for 15 Years. Disney recently chose that Valets won’t handle luggage anymore which greatly effects their tip income. He had this to say:
“I love just seeing people come in, and seeing their faces, and the kids coming out of cars, I’ve interacted with 100,000 people and had conversations with every one of them. We feel like there’s always somebody else that will fill our spot, and we’re just there.“
The Lawsuit is mainly about is Disney is is subject to the 2018 Anaheim ballot measure that requires companies collecting city subsidies to increase workers’ pay to $18 per hour by next year, then provide cost-of-living increases.
A lawyer for the city of Anaheim said:
“I think the issues here are simple: The voters demanded that companies like Disney, who take public handouts, pay their workers a living wage.“
This is just one of many recent blunders the company has gone through, from the Scarlett Johansson Lawsuit, to the Genie App, to the various Lucasfilm controversies etc.
With California’s cost of living going up it makes sense for these people to want to be paid more for their hard work. It’s crazy that most employees who work at the park seemingly can’t even afford to visit themselves as guests.
Abigail Disney has gone on record criticizing Disney for their low pay to employees when he company makes Billions annually. Is Disney Executives are able to make $11 Million in annual bonuses surely they can afford to pay their park staff more.Â
What are your thoughts on the lawsuit? DO you think they are justified?
Source: Indépendant, NewserÂ
Pirates & Princesses (PNP) is an independent, opinionated fan-powered news blog that covers Disney and Universal Theme Parks, Themed Entertainment and related Pop Culture from a consumer's point of view. Opinions expressed by our contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of PNP, its editors, affiliates, sponsors or advertisers. PNP is an unofficial news source and has no connection to The Walt Disney Company, NBCUniversal or any other company that we may cover.