Disneyland Paris Strike Forces Cancellations As Employees Seek Raises

Disneyland Paris employees staged a strike Tuesday morning to highlight their demands for higher wages.

According to the strikers, almost 1,ooo employees joined a protest that marched through the park as union members waved red flags and chanted their demands. Disney officials canceled the traditional 11 a.m. parade because the Park’s Main Street was occupied by protestors, according to Le Parisien.

One striker told the newspaper that union members attempted to meet with management earlier in the morning but were rebuffed. So they decided to move ahead with the protest.

A smaller group of 200 employees staged a protest on May 10, followed by 500 on May 23. This time, the ranks grew to 500 as employees from hotels, maintenance, and security also joined the protest.

The strikers have asked for a monthly wage increase of €200, in large measure so their pay keeps pace with inflation. They are also requesting increased mileage allowances and more flexible scheduling.

In an attempt to reach a settlement, the park’s management met with union leaders on May 26. While some measures were offered by Disney to address cost of living issues, union officials said they were not enough to “extinguish the fire,” according to La Marne newspaper.

And so unions called for a new strike and protest on May 30. This latest action represents a new step for organized labor within the Disneyland Paris park.

The previous demonstrations had been spontaneous in nature, organized by employees upset with management. Those certainly had an impact, forcing the cancellation of some shows and events.

However, today’s protest was officially called by the unions, a first with the park, according to La Marne.

“It’s historic what happened. The employees even organized an autonomous general assembly,” Ahmed Masrour, a representative of the UNSA union, told La Marne.

“It testifies to the fact that employees are fed up which affects many trades in the company,” Dorothée Argence, of the CFE-CG, told the newspaper.

Overall, Disneyland Paris has 17,000 employees in the Seine-et-Marne department.

Disney officials did not comment directly on the latest protest, but made a statement noting that employees had received a wage increase of 3% in 2022 and 5.5% on January 1, 2023.

Typically, negotiations between unions and employers happen on an annual basis, in this case near the end of August or the start of September. However, the unions representing the Disney employees want those negotiations to start immediately to address the wage issues.

“Despite the salary measures applied by the company…we observe a crushing of wages,” the unions said in a statement.

Like much of France’s tourism sector, Disneyland Paris is still recovering from the pandemic, which forced the park to close for lengthy periods.

Disneyland Paris posted a strong 2022 with a $51 million operating profit and record revenue of $2.6 billion. The park was buoyed by a new Marvel attraction. With a full year ahead with no health restrictions and a resurgence of international travel, Disney officials have been projecting a big year for the park.