Cynthia “Cyn” Carranza meticulously scavenged for a shady parking spot in the car she called home.

The overnight custodian at Disneyland has to sleep during the day - a difficulty for anyone, let alone when you’re living in your car with two dogs. Ms Carranza says she makes $20.65 an hour (about £15.99) at the park but last summer, she couldn’t afford rent in this Southern California city where the average apartment can run more than $2,000 (about £1,550) a month.

Ms Carranza, like others who work at the park, detailed to the BBC the financial hardships that come with working at what’s supposed to be the “Happiest Place on Earth”. About 10,000 union workers at Disneyland - the first of 12 parks created around the globe - are threatening to strike over the wages and what they say are retaliatory anti-union practices.

Hundreds of workers protested outside the park this week, with an array of signs and pins showing Mickey Mouse’s gloved fist in defiance.

“Mickey would want fair pay,” workers chanted outside Disneyland near the park’s gates.

They voted almost unanimously to authorise strike action on Friday, just days before union contract negotiations for workers are set to resume.

  • BuckenBerry@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    4
    ·
    edit-2
    4 months ago

    “Mickey would want fair pay,”

    Are we sure about that?

    One of his best friends is related to a billionaire.

    • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      4 months ago

      Seriously, I’m all for labor action (solidarity forever!), but that is one lame-ass chant lol.

      Even while being bent over a barrel by them, Disney adults will be Disney adults I guess. Especially the ones who work there.