Disney Cast Members Sleeping in Their Cars, Wages Too Low To Afford Rent

Cast members at Disneyland Resort have described being forced to sleep in their cars due to low wages.

Whether you’re at Disneyland Resort or Tokyo Disney Resort, Disney theme parks are nothing without their cast members. Since Walt Disney opened the first Disney park in 1955, these workers have always been the secret ingredient to a magical theme park experience.

That’s why their recent fight is so important. Over 14,000 cast members at Disneyland Resort are currently in the process of pushing for better wages.

These workers – who hail from locations in Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure, Downtown Disney, and the resort’s three hotels (Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, and the recently-opened Pixar Place Hotel) – are represented by four unions, which have been in negotiations with Disneyland over its pay since April.

A statement from The Disney Workers Rising Bargaining Committee claims they are “fighting for fair wages, a fair attendance policy, seniority increases, and safe parks for cast members and guests.”

In their mission to achieve these goals, cast members staged a protest outside Disneyland Resort earlier this week. Hundreds of off-duty cast members gathered in Anaheim – where Disneyland plans to embark upon a $1.9 billion expansion soon – bearing signs bearing cutting phrases such as “magic doesn’t pay the bills” and “nothing can stop us now” (a reference to the theme tune of the Toontown attraction Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway).

Cast members have also opened up about how their low pay affects their current living situation. As per a recent report from the BBC, one overnight custodian – named as Cynthia ‘Cyn’ Carranza – briefly lived out of her car with her two dogs, parking in shady areas during the day so she could sleep in time for her shift.

According to Carranza, who makes $20.65 an hour, this was the only solution when she couldn’t afford Anaheim’s average monthly rent of over $2,000. She also had to sneak showers in Disneyland’s costume department. Now, she lives with her boyfriend (who also works at Disneyland) but still struggles financially. “That’s not something that anybody should experience working a full-time job for a company like Disney,” she told the BBC.

She’s not the only one. L Slaughter, who makes $19.90 an hour working as a host in Toontown, also told the BBC that she spent two years living in her car. She now lives roughly an hour away from Disneyland, but even this has become a struggle. “My rent just went up $200, and I won’t be able to make rent again,” she said. (Notably, Disneyland reportedly doesn’t let its cast members sleep in their cars on property).

Union officials claim that one in 10 cast members have experienced homelessness while working at Disneyland. At the same time, a survey showed that 73% don’t make enough from their Disney salary alone to cover basic expenses. A living wage calculator built by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology estimates that a single person with no children would need an hourly wage of $30.48 to afford to live near Disneyland.

Last night, Disneyland cast members voted to authorize a strike. While that doesn’t mean one will definitely happen, it does open the door for over 14,000 workers to walk out of the parks if negotiations between the unions and Disneyland Resort fail when they continue on Monday and Tuesday (July 22 and July 23). This would be the first strike at Disneyland in 40 years.

Disneyland has released its own statement, insisting that they “respect and value our cast members and recognize the important role they play in creating happiness for our guests.”

Have you ever worked at Disneyland? We’d love to hear your thoughts on the ongoing negotiations between Disney and its cast members!