Disney's Hotel-Workers' Union Is Still Trying to Bring Down the Mouse
After some two-and-a-half years of stalled negotiations and street theater, a new labor deal still seems like Fantasyland
She gets up to leave. The Unite Here offices have nearly emptied as the workers return to the Magic Kingdom, another day without any progress. The nearly three-year struggle is weighing on their ranks, members acknowledge, but they remain in good spirits and are confident they’ll win a contract sans Disney’s health-care proposal.
“It’s a microcosm of what’s happening in America,” Maitland says. “What makes this important is that Disney is the symbol of what’s supposed to make America great. But Disney is starting to become the American nightmare. They’re seeking to eliminate the middle class, down to every last drop. That’s why it’s so symbolic. We’re not being unreasonable.”
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This article appeared in print as "Bringing Down the Mouse: Inside the acrimonious, two-and-a-half-years-long—and counting—fight between Disneyland and its hotel workers."
