Cynthia Carranza meticulously searches for a shaded parking spot for the car she calls home.
Carranza is a night janitor at Disneyland in California. Because of this, she has to sleep during the day, which is difficult for anyone, but even more so for her, who lives in her vehicle with two dogs.
He says he gets paid $20.65 an hour at the park. Last summer he couldn’t afford to pay rent in a city in Southern California, where an average apartment can cost more than $2,000 a month.
Carranza cries as she recounts the struggles of that summer, including sneaking into Disneyland’s locker room to shower. She now shares a small apartment with her boyfriend, who also works at the park, but they barely make enough to make ends meet.
“This is something that no one should have to experience working full-time for a company like Disney,” he told the BBC.
Carranza, like other park employees, recounts the financial difficulties that come with working in what is supposed to be “the happiest place on earth.”
Threat of strike
Some 10,000 unionized workers at Disneyland, the first of 12 parks built around the world, are threatening to strike to demand better pay and denounce what they call anti-union practices in response to the protests.
Hundreds of workers protested outside the park last week, carrying a series of signs and pins depicting Mickey Mouse’s fist covered by his traditional white glove in defiance.
“Mickey would like a fair wage,” they chanted near the park gates.
Workers voted almost unanimously to authorize the strike last Friday, just days before union contract negotiations were set to resume.
While the vote does not mean a strike is imminent, it could prepare workers to act quickly if negotiations fall through.
The last Disneyland strike was in 1984 and lasted 22 days.
Homeless employees
The contract for Disneyland cast members expired on June 16, and current negotiations involve a coalition of unions representing nearly 10,000 park employees. This includes everyone from those who work as characters and operate attractions to sales, restaurant and cleaning workers.
Union representatives say about 1 in 10 Disneyland cast members became homeless while working at the park.
A survey of employees showed that 73% say they do not earn enough to cover basic expenses each month and about a third said they have experienced housing insecurity over the past year.
“We’re the ones who make the magic,” says L. Slaughter, host of Toontown, a themed area at the park. “We need Disney to pay us a living wage.”
Slaughter lived in his car for two years while working at the park. He says he spent much of that time trying to find a safe parking spot to sleep, since staff are not allowed to sleep in Disneyland parking lots.
She now has a small apartment about an hour’s drive from the park. “My rent just went up $200 and I won’t be able to pay it again,” she says.
Slaughter earns $19.90 an hour, thanks to a minimum wage mandate passed by the city in 2018. Disney unsuccessfully fought the wage increase, but workers say it still isn’t enough to afford a decent living in Southern California.
A living wage calculator built by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) indicates that a single person without children would need to be paid $30.48 an hour to live near Disneyland in Orange County, which is 30 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
Workers who spoke to the BBC said they kept their jobs because they love the Disney brand and rely on generous health care benefits and the union-run food bank, which some workers describe as a lifeline.
Disney’s position
Disney says it is committed to negotiating with its “cast members,” the company’s term for employees who portray characters such as princesses and pirates, as well as chefs and janitors who keep the park running.
“We respect and value our cast members and recognize the important role they play in creating happiness for our guests,” Disney said in a statement.
The company said talks with unions representing its workers would resume on July 22.
The company said it is committed to reaching a deal that “focuses on what matters most to our current cast members, helps us attract new cast members and positions Disneyland Resort for growth and more job creation.”
Keep reading:
* Disney receives criticism for having a male employee dressed as a woman in one of its parks
* 10 interesting facts you should know about Disney before visiting one of its parks
* What is it like to work at a Disney park? These secrets will surprise you!
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