Cast Members Sue Disney Over Walking Distance at Work

Tens of thousands of Disney cast members make Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure Park, Downtown Disney, and the surrounding Disney Resort hotels as magical as they are. Unfortunately, despite union negotiations, many live in poverty. Some report delaying medical care, living in their cars, and doing sex work on the side to make ends meet.

Now, Disney cast members are fighting back against what they believe are unfair working conditions. This week, thousands of current and former Disneyland Resort cast members reportedly received class-action lawsuit notices in the mail. According to the letters, Disneyland Resort failed to pay cast members for the time they spent walking to and from their cars and getting through security. Though it might initially sound trivial, Disney employees say this can take up to 30 minutes.

Former Disney cast member Tim (@nottimmilles) shared a summary of the letter on TikTok:

@nottimmilles

Replying to @achance007 this is a good start for Cast Members! #distok #disney #disneyland #disneyworld #wdw #disneyadult #castmember #castmemberlife #magickey #magickeyholder #disneyadults #disneytiktok #fyp #disneyfyp

♬ original sound – Tim ☁️

“There’s a class-action lawsuit filed by somebody who used to work at Disneyland,” Tim explained. “From what I see, it seems like it covers most cast members that work there. It mentions the walk time. Let’s say you got off at 6:00; you actually clock out at 5:40, and then you get paid 20 minutes to walk to your car.”

“You don’t get paid anything before your shift for doing the same thing,” he continued. “20 minutes is hardly enough to cover the time you spend walking to and from your car.”

The letter alleges that Disneyland Resort failed to pay cast members for going through the required security screening to enter the Southern California Disney park. According to Tim, this covers almost every Disneyland Resort employee.

“I’m sure that Disney would like to get away with that,” he said. “But I think what this class-action lawsuit is trying to cover is the time commitment that a lot of cast members give to Disney versus the pay they get back. Sure, a lot of cast members like what they do, but why do it if you’re not getting paid to do it?”

Other current and former Disney cast members confirmed they also received legal notices in the mail.

“I got mine too,” @michellemixmagic commented. “I’m not a CM anymore so we’ll see what happens.”

“In my time at Disney, I have been a part of at least 5 class action lawsuits,” said @pauljk24. “I also got this one too.”

Disney Parks cast members and fans were enthusiastic about the lawsuit.

“I definitely remember a few times I was late because of the lines from the security check points,” @alexpearlmoon wrote. “I was just told to get there earlier and sit there.”

“Not to mention, sometimes you need to get through crowds of people just to get to your location because not everything is accessible thru backstage,” @lavendersoju replied.

A similar class-action lawsuit took place in 2006. A security guard sued Disneyland Resort for not compensating him for the time it took to take a shuttle from a parking lot to work. The judge ruled in favor of The Walt Disney Company, which argued that the cast member wasn’t required to park in a specific parking lot and could’ve avoided the shuttle.

Disneyland Resort hasn’t commented on the class-action lawsuit, and Inside the Magic could not locate any public court documents. Follow along for updated reporting about this and other legal disputes against The Walt Disney Company.

Are you a former Disneyland Resort cast member impacted by the lawsuit? 

Please note that the story outlined in this article is based on personal Disney Parks cast member experiences. No two experiences are alike, and this article does not necessarily align with Inside the Magic’s personal views on Disney Park operations.

This post is originally appeared on Inside the Magic.