Disneyland may be the Happiest Place on Earth, but the unions representing its workforce say many of its employees are barely scraping by. That could soon change.
A ballot measure that would raise the minimum wage for Disney’s hospitality workers has garnered enough signatures for the November ballot. As required by law, the Anaheim City Council has also weighed in, agreeing 4-3 Tuesday night to place the issue before voters.
The measure would affect the Disneyland theme park and resort, California Adventure Park, several nearby businesses, three existing hotels, and two more hotels planned for the city. The initiative is aimed at hospitality businesses that currently accept a city subsidy. It would raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour on Jan. 1, with annual increases of $1 through 2022. Once the wage hit $18 an hour, the increases would be tied to the cost of living.
A number of Disneyland and Disney hotel workers addressed the council Tuesday, urging support for the measure. According to a labor-funded online survey, 73% of Disneyland workers say they don’t earn enough to meet basic needs and 11% say they have either been homeless or have not had a place of their own in the past two years.
Construction representatives and other opponents of the measure warned the proposal could kill up to 3,000 jobs and scuttle plans to build two new hotels in the city.
It’s now up to voters to decide.