Members of UFCW Local 324 who work as Disney cast members in Anaheim, Calif., recently won back pay after a judge in Orange County approved a $233 million settlement of a class action lawsuit against Disney. This is the largest settlement of its kind in California history and marks the end of a lengthy legal battle to hold Disney accountable for underpaying its workers in violation of Anaheim County Measure L.
Measure L, passed in 2018, stipulated that any employer operating in the Resort District had to pay its workers a minimum of $15 an hour (rising in subsequent years). Disney, which received tax subsidies for the Disney Resort, claimed it was exempt and underpaid 51,000 cast members, violating this measure.
UFCW Local 324, BCTGM Local 83, SEIU-United Service Workers West, and Teamsters Local 495, representing 14,000 Disney cast members in Anaheim, supported Measure L. Members of UFCW Local 324 gathered signatures to get the measure on the ballot and also went door-to-door to urge voters to vote “yes” for the measure.
Impacted Disney Resort workers, including UFCW Local 324 members, will receive thousands of dollars in back pay with interest.
“This has been a rollercoaster from the beginning, but it’s been incredible winning this settlement. The people of Anaheim voted for this, and their voices helped Disney hear our voices and got us the money that we deserve,” said Michael Levia, a UFCW Local 324 member and a front-of-house floor lead at Disney California Adventure who has worked at the park for 16 years and will receive back wages from the settlement. “The union has fought for us every step of the way, from helping pass Measure L to winning a big new contract last year to reaching this settlement. It wouldn’t have happened without having the union behind us.”
“I love what I do, turning kids into princesses and knights, but I have to be able to afford to live while doing it,” said Michi Cordell, a UFCW Local 324 member and a 17-year cast member at Disneyland who will receive back wages. “This settlement will be a major help to my family thanks to the union and the Anaheim voters who supported Measure L. We stood up for what we deserved, from passing Measure L to reaching this agreement, and won.”
Last year, UFCW Local 324 and the other unions representing Disney cast members agreed on a historic new contract with Disney that brought the minimum base wage to $24 an hour – higher than the current Measure L rate.