
This weekend has gone quiet after nearly a month of strikes that have disrupted all Park activities. Out of respect for a Make-A-Wish event, striking Cast Members have taken the weekend off but will continue to disrupt the Park again next week.
Beginning in May, striking Cast Members at Disneyland Paris Resort started to take to the Parks to show their displeasure. At first, they marched through Walt Disney Studio and Disneyland with placards and flags, causing the day’s parade cancelations. Last week, the situation worsened, as the striking Cast Members got into a physical altercation with security forces hired by the Walt Disney Company to keep the peace.
Then, striking Cast Members surrounded Sleeping Beauty Castle and forced the cancelation of the nighttime show at Disneyland Paris. The Guests could be heard booing the cancelation and the Cast Members who caused it.
The crowd’s reaction moments ago when tonight’s entertainment was canceled due to the Cast Member strikes: pic.twitter.com/DDBdziXeyl
— DLP Report (@DLPReport) June 6, 2023
Last week, Disneyland Paris President Natacha Rafalski held a virtual meeting with the striking Cast Members. After the meeting, the National Union of Autonomous Trade Unions (UNSA) released a statement calling the meeting a “trainwreck” and saying that Rafalski “made wonderful promises.” Still, that management has refused to follow through.
The UNSA said on its Facebook page:
The response from president Natacha Rafalski represents a serious problem which raises a crisis for social dialogue, it inevitably leads to a situation that could become explosive. Given the urgency of the moment, and the severity of its consequences, UNSA Disneyland Paris asks to meet with the president.
The striking workers are seeking a weekly pay raise of $215 U.S., improvements to the length of service bonus, and increased pay for working on Sundays. It should be noted that the Cast Members in France make more than their counterparts at the Walt Disney World Resort.
Last week, Rafalski told Disneyland Paris Cast Members that the Walt Disney Company would not negotiate with them until August, which the two sides agreed upon earlier in the year.
This strike has essentially ruined the visit for Guests visiting Disneyland Paris. After the nighttime show was canceled last week, Disney sent Guests to the Town Hall on Main Street, U.S.A., for a refund, but it was so overwhelmed that it was shut down as well.
With the charity event ending, it remains to be seen what the Cast Member union has in store.
We will continue to update this story at Disney Fanatic.