Petition: Tell Disney to Pay a Living Wage

The “happiest place on earth” is… a horrible place to work.

Disney ranks in big bucks from theme parks like Disneyland. But a recent report found that the Disneyland workers who make it magical struggle to afford food, essential medicine and a roof over their heads.¹

Bob Iger, Disney’s CEO, raked in more than $36 million last year. Disney as a whole stands to get a more than $1.5 billion windfall from the Trump Tax Scam.² And yet the corporation refuses to pay workers a living wage. That’s unacceptable.

Tell Disney: Pay a living wage. Click here to sign the petition.

Disney is desperate to maintain its family-friendly image and is susceptible to public pressure – in recent years, CREDO successfully pushed the corporation to end its pro-fracking propaganda. Now, we’re joining forces with our allies at DailyKos, UNITE Here, Americans for Tax Fairness, Democracy for America, Good Jobs Nation, People Demanding Action, Progressive Change Campaign Committee and Progressive Congress Action Fund to demand that Disney start paying workers a living wage.

A survey of more than 5,000 Disneyland employees found that more than half made less than the poverty line for a family of four. Many Disneyland employees struggle to afford medical care, including prescription drugs and dental care, and more than 60 percent have run out of food and been forced to fall back on food stamps or food banks to survive. Nearly 15 percent of those with young kids and more than 10 percent in total report experiencing homelessness in the last 2 years.³

Disney’s profits have skyrocketed to more than $55 billion each year, and Disney theme parks are especially profitable. Iger’s $36 million compensation is more than triple that of his predecessor. On top of it all, Disney is poised to drop $52 billion on 21st Century Fox to exert more concentrated control over the media industry, and will receive more than $1.5 billion from the Trump Tax Scam.⁴ Disney is more profitable than ever and yet is blocking the workers who make that possible from living with dignity. That’s unconscionable, and we need to pour pressure on the company to act.

Tell Disney: Pay a living wage. Click here to sign the petition.

Disneyland also receives subsidies from local government even as it joins right-wing groups in opposing a ballot measure that would create a fair wage in the hospitality industry. A worker and union coalition in Southern California is promoting a ballot initiative that would raise pay for hospitality workers to $18 per hour by 2022 – boosting the local economy from the bottom up by putting more money in people’s pockets as reward for their hard work.⁵

Disney does not like bad publicity and is already on the defensive. Every signature on this petition will help expose Disney’s unfairness and shine a spotlight on its mistreatment of workers.

Tell Disney: Pay a living wage. Click below to sign the petition:

https://act.credoaction.com/go/22784?t=8&akid=28851%2E6686651%2E4G9Ntk

Thank you for speaking out,

Josh Nelson, Co-Director
CREDO Action from Working Assets

Add your name:

References:

1. Margot Roosevelt, “Disneyland Resort workers struggle to pay for food, housing and medical care, union survey finds,” Orange County Register, March 7, 2018.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. Margot Roosevelt, “Disney unions’ ballot drive seeks to raise wages up to $18 an hour for hospitality companies that take Anaheim subsidies,” Orange County Register, March 4, 2018.