Could Disney’s Biggest Competition Soon Be Paying Team Members $25 Per Hour?

It’s no secret that living in Los Angeles is incredibly expensive. The average cost of renting an apartment is $2,700, and the average home costs more than $1 million. Many people who work a full-time job, but are paid minimum wage, cannot afford to live on their own. City and county officials say that there is a housing crisis, but they only seem to be building more luxury apartment buildings. Los Angeles has one of the highest minimum wages in the state, and that could soon get even higher for some employees.

Los Angeles is a city that thrives on tourism. Between the trips to TCL’s Chinese Theater, the Hollywood sign, beaches in Malibu, and walking along Rodeo Drive, tourists flock to the City of Angels year-round. Just outside of Los Angeles proper — in North Hollywood — there is an exciting theme park Guests also love to enjoy. That Park is Universal Studios Hollywood.

A new proposal being put forth by the county would raise the minimum wage for tourism employees from $15.50 per hour to a whopping $25 per hour. The proposal also wants to fix loopholes in the system, all to allow tourism employees to stay healthy and housed. The proposal was put forth by Los Angeles City Councilman Curren Price on Monday, April 10.

ABC7 — a local Los Angeles news station — shared more on the proposed hourly wage increase.

More than 100 tourism workers, specifically hotel and Los Angeles International Airport workers who would be impacted by the proposal, are expected to join the councilman and speak to the difficulty of surviving on the current wage.

According to a statement from Price’s office, the motion will ensure the future growth of the tourism industry as it gears up to host global events like the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games.

“Meanwhile, wages aren’t enough to keep tourism workers housed, as Los Angeles grapples with an unprecedented housing crisis,” Price said in a statement. “Many of the working people who are the foundation of L.A.’s tourism economy, working in L.A. hotels and at LAX, are struggling to survive on the city’s current living wage, facing housing and food insecurity, or forced to work two jobs.”

The current minimum wage in California is $15.50 per hour. According to the Living Wage Calculator, the minimum wage for a single person with no children is just over $21 per hour. Should the minimum wage for tourism workers — like those at Universal Studios Hollywood — increase to $25 per hour, full-time employees would be more likely to support themselves. Reliance on social programs would theoretically decrease.

Universal Studios Hollywood has not commented on the potential wage increase. There are around 30,000 Team Members who work at the theme park.