Disney cast members at the company’s Anaheim, California, theme park voted overwhelmingly to ratify a new union contract Monday, securing workers’ massive pay and benefit increases.
By approving the pact, employees represented by Disney Workers Rising will receive an instant $4.10 raise and will see a $6.10 raise by the end of the three-year contract. This means by the end of the contract, Disney cast members will have a base pay of around $24 an hour.
The deal also provides for increased sick leave for workers and a more lenient attendance policy.
“By ratifying these contracts, Disney cast members have secured historic raises and policies and protections that reflect their role as magic makers in the Disney parks,” Disney Workers Rising said of the deal.
The union coalition represents over 14,000 workers from various parts of Disney’s California theme park, including ride operators, custodians and store clerks.
Monday’s ratification ends weeks of contentious negotiations and narrowly avoids a strike. Earlier this month, members voted nearly unanimously to authorize a walkout if a deal wasn’t reached by the end of July, but the two parties quickly announced a tentative agreement last week.
During contract talks, the union group alleged that Disney mistreated some cast members because they wore pro-union buttons at work. Disney Workers Rising filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board in June. A decision is pending.
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