Posts Categorized: Industries

UFCW Local 324 played a major role in helping Disney workers in Anaheim, Calif., win a $233 million Disney class action settlement in December. This agreement marks the largest wage theft settlement in California history.

The lawsuit alleged that Disney was not complying with “Measure L,” a minimum wage law that was passed with help of a coalition of labor unions in 2018, including UFCW Local 324, BCTGM Local 83, SEIU-United Service Workers West, and Teamsters Local 495, which represent over 14,000 Disney cast members in Anaheim. 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.

Measure L mandated that businesses receiving city subsidies pay a minimum wage of $15 per hour starting in 2019, with $1 increases for the first three years, followed by an annual 2 percent raise for workers going forward. This settlement will affect over 50,000 current and former Disney employees who were paid less than Measure L requires with back pay plus interest and penalties. The settlement is pending approval by an Orange County Superior Court judge.

Disney cast members in Anaheim, who are members of UFCW Local 324 and the other unions, ratified new contracts in July 2024. These contracts included a minimum base wage rate of $24 in 2024, which is much higher than current Measure L rates.

“This money is really going to help make a difference in a lot of Disney cast members’ lives,” said UFCW Local 324 President Andrea Zinder. “Cast members will be receiving potentially thousands of dollars in back wages they’re rightfully owed, giving them security in the case of an emergency and the means to put money into savings or retirement. UFCW members and our coalition partners standing together have shown throughout these five years, and especially this last year in contract negotiations, that when we stand up for what members deserve, together, we can accomplish anything.”

On Jan. 3, workers at the PetSmart store in Midland, Texas, voted to join UFCW Local 540 for a better life. This organizing win marks the second unit of PetSmart workers to join our union family. Workers at the PetSmart store in Mishawaka, Ind., became the first PetSmart store in the county to unionize by joining UFCW Local 700 last October.

An overwhelming majority of the Midland PetSmart workers signed union authorization cards to join the UFCW before filing for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board, citing the company’s restructuring plan, inadequate hours, and safer working conditions as some of the top reasons for wanting to unionize.

“I, along with my co-workers, am so proud of coming together to form a union that will finally allow us to advocate for improved hours, pay, and worker safety on the job,” said Stephanie Lawrence, who is a PetSmart customer engagement lead at the Midland store and a member of the organizing committee. “We went into this election united, and the results confirmed what we have known for months: PetSmart workers deserve a union.”

“I look forward to building even more power together so we can have a say in our future here,” Lawrence added. “With the power of a union, we can now finally start the work of making our PetSmart store a better place for workers, customers, and the animals we care for!”