Los Angeles, Ca
What’s Disneyland’s plan should a strike authorization vote pass?
Disneyland employees, whom Disney refers to as cast members, have been participating in a strike authorization vote as contract negotiations with Disney continue.
About 9,500 cast members are eligible to participate in the vote, according to the Los Angeles Times.
It’s important to note that strike authorization votes are common during negotiations, but they don’t guarantee a strike will happen.
Union leaders can decide if cast members will hold a potential strike if the vote passes. If they chose to do so, it would be the first at Disneyland in 40 years.
So, will Disneyland close if cast members decide to hold a strike? It’s unlikely.
“If approved, a strike would affect only a portion of cast members at Disneyland Park. Our Disneyland Resort parks and hotels will remain open and ready to welcome guests if any number of our Disney cast members strike. Disneyland Resort employs over 35,000 cast members, and we are dedicated to the well-being of each one,” a statement on a Disneyland website said.
Since April, union representatives have been negotiating a new contract with Disney, seeking wage increases, safety improvements and more.
The unions involved are the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers Local 83, the Service Employees International Union-United Service Workers West, the Teamsters Local 495 and the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 324.
In May, the union representatives said they filed unfair labor practice charges against Disney on behalf of the 14,000 cast members for “unlawful discipline, intimidation and surveillance of union members exercising their right to wear union buttons at work.”
Disney stated that the buttons, which depicted Mickey’s hand raising a fist, don’t adhere to “the Disney look.”
“Our Disney Look and the costumes worn by our cast members are a critical part of enhancing the experience of our Disney show. As you enter Disneyland Park, the plaque reads, “Here you Leave Today and Enter the World of Yesterday, Tomorrow and Fantasy,” and everything we do to create and protect that environment is intentional,” a Disneyland website said.
“We won’t accept less than what we deserve because we know our value to Disney. The theme parks’ profits come from our hard work making a trip to Disneyland a magical experience for guests,” the Disney Workers Rising Bargaining Committee previously said in a statement.
“By undermining our rights, Disney has only made harder our fight to help our guests and keep our parks safe, which is why we are compelled to take a vote…on whether to authorize a strike after our contract expires.”
The National Labor Relations Board is currently investigating the charges.
The current contract for Disneyland cast members expired on June 16, 2024, and for Disney California Adventure and Downtown Disney cast members, it expires on Sept. 30, 2024.
Disneyland officials have said that they “remain committed to continuing discussions and to reaching an agreement with the Master Services Council that focuses on what matters most to our current cast members, helps us attract new cast, and positions Disneyland Resort for growth and the creation of more jobs.”
The next meeting between Disney and union representatives is scheduled for July 22.
Strike authorization voting results are expected to be released on Saturday.
The latest strike authorization vote comes during Disneyland’s busy summer season and after Disneyland cast members, particularly those who work in the resort’s Characters and Parades departments, announced their intent to unionize in February.
Los Angeles, Ca
Hospital needs help identifying man found unconscious in downtown Los Angeles
A hospital needs help identifying a male patient who was found injured and unconscious in downtown Los Angeles.
The man is believed to be in his 30s, according to the Los Angeles General Medical Center.
He was found injured on the ground on Omar Street and has been hospitalized since June 22.
He stands 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 176 pounds. He has brown eyes, dark brown hair and tattoos across his upper body.
He did not have any personal belongings to help staff identify him or contact loved ones. Workers did not disclose the nature of his injuries.
Anyone who recognizes the man is asked to call clinical social worker Cesar Robles at 323-409-6885.
The public can also call the L.A. General Medical Center’s Department of Social Work at 323-409-5253 or, after hours from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m., call 323-409-6883. On weekends, call 323-409-5254.
Los Angeles, Ca
Clue may identify SUV in Long Beach hit-and-run that left woman injured
Police are asking the public for help Wednesday in identifying a hit-and-run driver who left a woman badly injured in Long Beach late last month. The May 24 crash occurred around 11 p.m. as the victim was crossing East 2nd Street, according to the Long Beach Police Department. Video provided by police showed a dark-colored […]
Los Angeles, Ca
‘What’s going on with our society?’ Elderly L.A. street vendor violently beaten
WARNING: Video footage contains graphic violence
A 62-year-old street vendor is recovering after a brutally violent attack by another woman in broad daylight as bystanders in downtown Los Angeles looked on.
The attack happened around 4 p.m. on June 15 in the 700 block of Figueroa Street, where Arabelia Martinez has sold hot dogs for years to support herself and her family.
Video of the incident, which has since circulated widely online, appears to show a woman confronting Martinez at her stand before spraying sauce across the vendor’s cart. Martinez responds by throwing what appears to be Tajín seasoning in the woman’s direction, and the confrontation quickly escalates.
The difficult-to-watch footage shows Martinez being shoved to the ground and struck multiple times as people look on. Some can be seen attempting to intervene, but the assault continues for roughly a minute before coming to an end.
“I was speechless,” Martinez’s son, Constantino Garcia, said after watching the video. “I couldn’t even see the whole thing.”
According to Garcia, the suspect approached his mother before the attack and attempted to intimidate her into giving her money.
“The lady came up to my mom trying to intimidate her and extort her for money, telling her she needed a permit to sell, which my mom does have,” Garcia told KTLA’s Carlos Saucedo.
When Martinez refused, Garcia claims the woman became verbally abusive.
“After she didn’t get her way and tried to extort my mom, she said, ‘Go back to Mexico,’ and made some racist remarks,” he said. “She said some disgusting things to my mom.”
Garcia said his mother continues to suffer lingering effects from the attack.
“She keeps complaining about her head,” he said. “We need to go see a head specialist because her head doesn’t stop hurting. As you could see in the video, she got slammed to the ground.”
The video has also sparked outrage over the response from some witnesses who were nearby during the assault.
“What’s going on with our society?” Garcia said. “Are we getting desensitized to an elderly woman being beaten in broad daylight and being surrounded by people doing the bare minimum to help her? That was horrible for me to watch.”
Witness Sebastian Gutierrez said he arrived moments after the confrontation and saw Garcia’s attacker causing additional chaos in the area.
“The lady began to flip over the tables of vendors,” Gutierrez said, describing the woman as possibly unstable. “It definitely seemed like there were mental health issues or drugs involved, like we see with a lot of things here in downtown L.A.,” he said.
The Los Angeles Police Department has launched a battery investigation into the incident KTLA confirmed, though no suspect information or news of a potential arrest has been released.
Meanwhile, Martinez’s family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help with her recovery and raise awareness about the dangers street vendors face daily.
“I hope that my mom gets justice for what happened to her,” Garcia said. He added that he’s been encouraged by the public response to the video.
“I’m grateful people are sympathizing with my mom,” he said. “People are giving it the attention it deserves.”
-
Idaho2 minutes agoDorothy Moon reelected to third term as Idaho GOP chair
-
Georgia4 minutes agoThe Farmer’s Dog Partners with the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine to Advance Veterinary Nutrition Training
-
Hawaii7 minutes agoSewer rate hikes proposed – West Hawaii Today
-
Illinois19 minutes agoMan buys winning $1.3 million jackpot ticket at suburban gas station
-
Indiana22 minutes ago‘Foul play’ suspected in death investigation on Indiana-Ohio state line, Wayne County officials say
-
Iowa27 minutes agoNew Iowa program aims to remove barriers to family support
-
Kentucky32 minutes ago
Can you set off fireworks in Kentucky? See laws ahead of Fourth of July
-
Louisiana42 minutes agoHistoric Gene Therapy Gives Young Louisiana Man a New Shot at Life










