Support Disney Hotel Workers

UNITE HERE Local 681
Disney Hotel workers are currently renegotiating their contracts.  They have been working without a contract since February as Disney tries to take away their health care benefits.  In February our national organization, the Young Democrats of America, had its winter meeting at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, California.  Rather than change the venue of the meeting, YDA decided to join UNITE HERE Local 681, the union representing Disney Hotel workers, in a rally to support the hotel workers' health benefits.  Well over three hundred High School Democrats, College Democrats, and Young Democrats from across the country joined the picket line to show Disney that we support health care benefits for the workers of local 681. 

But the fight isn't over yet!

Approximately 2,300 employees of the Disneyland Hotels, including bellmen, dishwashers, room attendants, and cooks, have been working without a contract since February 2008.  Some workers who have worked at the hotels for years rely on this work as their main source of income for themselves and their families.

 

Disney is being unfaithful to these workers and their families who have given years to the company.

 ·        In previous contract negotiations, workers have fought to make their jobs sustainable. They made family healthcare coverage their number one priority, accepting low wage rates so they could obtain an employer-paid union health care plan.

Disney is now being unfaithful towards their workers by proposing that workers with fewer than 30 hours a week will not have access to healthcare insurance. Since wages are low due to past negotiations that focused on protecting free healthcare, some workers will not be able to afford to purchase healthcare coverage for themselves and their family, if they even qualified.

Disney can afford to support its dedicated staff by continuing quality jobs with family healthcare. As a global media conglomerate, Walt Disney Company’s 2007 net income was $4.687 billion, and its 2008 second quarter net profits rose 22% from last year.  Instead, Disney is being unfaithful to its workers by making it harder and more difficult for its staff to support their families.

As Young Democrats it is important that we continue to stand with Disney Hotel workers so that they can keep affordable health care.  So join community, clergy, and hotel workers at the August 14, 2008 demonstration beginning at the Paradise Pier Hotel located at 1600 S. Disneyland Drive, Anaheim, CA 92802 at 4:30 PM. For more information please contact UNITE HERE at 714-750-4373. 

4:30 PM - Picket Line at the Paradise Pier Hotel
5:00 PM - March from Paradise Pier Hotel to the Front Entrance of Disney (intersection of Harbor Blvd. and Disneyland Dr.).
6:00 PM - Action in front of Disneyland Entrance

Parking: Park at Downtown Disney Parking (3 Hours free) and then walk to the Paradise Pier Hotel. If you are arriving later that 5pm, then park at Downtown Disney and walk through the downtown walkway to the front of the Disneyland entrance on Harbor, and meet the marchers there.