Disneyland Workers Could Get Nearly $20 an Hour Following Appeals Court Ruling

In a recent ruling, Disneyland will have to follow Anaheim’s minimum wage law as it receives city subsidies, meaning that park employees could soon see their minimum wage increase to nearly $20 an hour. The Fourth Appellate District court’s decision comes as a result of a 1996 resort district bonds agreement between Disney and the city of Anaheim, which stipulated that Disney would cover bond payments if the city falls short, and in turn, the city would repay Disney in the future. The ruling means that thousands of Disneyland park employees, resort area hotel employees, and food service workers are entitled to previously denied wages.

This decision comes in a town where Disney heavily finances city council campaigns through its chief local elections spending vehicle, Support Our Anaheim Resort (SOAR). From there, SOAR heavily boosts council campaigns through independent expenditures on things like political mailers, digital advertising, and polling services. Last year, FBI agents in sworn affidavits, alleged resort interests through the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce held outsized influence over city hall. Disney and the Chamber heavily pushed back against the Measure L campaign in 2018, a coalition of unions supported the minimum wage ordinance that year through a signature gathering and public outreach campaign.

While the measure faced strong opposition by resort interests, residents approved the initiative by 54% to 46% in the 2018 November election. Since then, Disneyland has refused to comply with the law, arguing that a rebate wasn’t a subsidy. City officials at the time agreed, but the appeals court judges didn’t. In 2019, employees filed a class-action lawsuit against the company alleging Disneyland is receiving a subsidy from the city through the 1997 resort bonds, which helped build the Mickey and Friends parking garage and improvements to the California Adventure side of the park.

Disney operates and leases the city-owned parking garage for $1 a year while keeping all the revenue generated from it. In 2021, an OC Superior Court Judge ruled in favor of Disney, stating that while the company benefited from the bonds, it didn’t amount to a subsidy. Workers filed an appeal and won, with plaintiff Regina Delgado, a former employee of the Plaza Inn resort area hotel, stating in a recent news release that “We are thrilled by the Court’s decision and hope Disney will stop fighting against paying its workers a living wage.”

The victory comes as unionized hotel workers at the Anaheim Hilton and

k in the resort area walked out this week as part of rolling strikes for better pay. Ada Briceño, co-president of Unite Here Local 11, the union representing hotel workers in Southern California, said in a recent phone interview that she is thrilled by the court’s decision, adding that “We believe that workers should have the right to live where they work, especially those who make Disneyland or the surrounding hotels profitable.” Strikes will continue tomorrow at the Anaheim Hilton, with workers expected to rally and march down Harbor Boulevard at 10 a.m.

In conclusion, the recent ruling by the Fourth Appellate District court means that Disneyland workers could soon see their minimum wage increase to nearly $20 an hour. This decision comes after years of debate and legal action, and it is a significant victory for workers who have been denied fair wages for too long. With the ongoing strikes and protests, it is clear that workers and unions will continue to fight for their rights and fair treatment in the workplace.