Workers who bring Disneyland Resort's beloved characters to life — including Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Cinderella — plan to unionize.

The cast members, the Walt Disney Company's term for employees, said they are unionizing with the Actors' Equity Association.

What You Need To Know

  • Some performers at Disneyland in California may unionize

  • While most workers at the theme park and at Disney California Adventure already have unions, roughly 1,700 performers don't

  • Workers who have gone without union representation until now include those who meet and greet guests and stroll in parades as Mickey Mouse, Cinderella and other iconic characters

  • Disneyland officials say workers have the right to vote on whether or not to unionize

The Disneyland non-union character and performer cast members call themselves Magic United. 

Union officials said that Magic United has already begun circulating union authorization cards to the 1,700 cast members in the character and parades departments and will seek voluntary recognition from Disney Resort Entertainment.

"Disneyland is a very special place, where cast members create magic that attracts millions of guests every year," said Actors' Equity Association President Kate Shindle in a news release. "Disney workers are openly and powerfully invested in and loyal to the Walt Disney Company and its values; so it's reasonable for them to expect 'the happiest place on earth' to pay them fairly and prioritize their health and safety. Unionizing is the collective pathway to ensuring that the magic makers share not only in the happiness, but in the $9.13 billion in quarterly 'experience' revenue that Disney announced to its shareholders on February 7."

Union officials said that Magic United is made up of cast members in Disneyland's characters department who appear in shows, meet and greets and character dining experiences. Others include parade performers, hosts, trainers, leads and other roles that support their colleagues. 

Labor organizers announced the campaign Tuesday, saying performers want better safety conditions and scheduling policies to help keep the magic alive for visitors.

While most of the more than 35,000 workers at the Disneyland Resort already have labor unions, about 1,700 performers and character actors do not.

Disney operates two theme parks — Disneyland and Disney California Adventure — and a shopping and entertainment area called Downtown Disney in Anaheim. 

Disneyland, the company's oldest park, was the second-most visited theme park worldwide in 2022 with 16.8 million people coming through the gates, according to a report by the Themed Entertainment Association and AECOM.

Organizers told the Associated Press that union cards were circulated starting last week to promote forming a labor union under the Actors' Equity Association, which traditionally represents actors and stage managers and already represents theatrical performers at Walt Disney Co.'s Florida theme parks.

Actors' Equity officials declined to say how many cards were returned. Still, they hoped to collect them from more than half the performers. A majority of signatures would allow them to ask Disney to voluntarily recognize the union instead of seeking a vote through the National Labor Relations Board. They expect the process will take weeks.

Disneyland officials said that they believe cast members deserve the right to a confidential vote.

"We believe that our cast members deserve to have all the facts and the right to a confidential vote that recognizes their individual choices," a Disneyland spokesperson said in an emailed statement to Spectrum News.