Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
A California judge has approved a $233 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit against Disneyland for failing to pay a living wage to union members at the resort and theme park.
In 2018, Anaheim voters passed Measure L, which required companies in the city’s resort area that receive tax rebates to pay their staff a $15 minimum wage. UNITE HERE Local 11, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 324, Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers (BCTGM) Local 83, SEIU-United Service Workers West were among the unions who fought to ensure that corporations benefiting from subsidies shared their profits with workers. Disneyland resisted the new law for years, but workers eventually won what is now the largest class action wage theft case in California history.
“There’s a couple of people who are getting $100,000,” said Nathan Delgadillo, a server and member of UNITE HERE Local 11. “For all the workers, this will have a profoundly positive impact. And as a union, this is our whole program—it’s like having a vision and seeing that vision come true.”
“I love what I do, turning kids into princesses and knights, but I have to be able to afford to live while doing it,” said Michi Cordell, a member of UFCW Local 324 and a Disneyland staff member of 17 years. “This settlement will be a major help to my family thanks to the union and the Anaheim voters who supported Measure L. We stood up for what we deserved, from passing Measure L to reaching this agreement, and won.”