After four years of a bitter contract disputes between Disney and their hotel union at the company’s Disneyland Resort, the two have finally come to an agreement. On Monday, Disney announced that a five-year contract agreement had been reached for the 2,100 members of Unite Here Local 11.
A joint statement released by Disney and the union says:
We are pleased that we were able to craft a fair and comprehensive agreement that works for the Disneyland Resort and most importantly, for the 2,100 union hotel workers who now have the security of working with a multi-year contract in place. While it has been a long journey, we were able to cooperate and reach compromises that were agreeable to all parties and benefited the Local 11 cast members who help deliver an unparalleled level of service to our Disneyland Resort guests every day.
Throughout the four year debate, union members have participated in a hunger strike, a one-day strike, a walkout and several protests. Some of the protests led to the arrests of union members dressed like Disney characters.
Much of the argument centered around healthcare costs for hotel employees. While Disney wanted the union to join their company plan, which requires employee contributions, the hotel union repeatedly emphasized that Disney’s plan was too expensive – they wanted to keep their own healthcare plan that was free for workers.
In the announcement, it states that the new contract provides “affordable health care,” but further details are not specified. Disneyland Resort spokeswoman Suzi Brown declined to comment further on the new agreement.
