Credit: DisneyPeople worldwide are going on strike recently, each for different reasons, but most with the same goal: to be treated and paid fairly for their work. Unfortunately for Guests, the Disney Parks are not immune to the fight.
Britain saw a nationwide strike earlier this year, the Writer’s Guild of America has put a stop to several productions, and the people of France protested a retirement law earlier this year. Now it seems as though the French have decided to strike again, this time at Disneyland Paris.
Each day, Disneyland Paris offers Guests a performance of “Disney Stars on Parade,” featuring characters like Peter Pan, Crush, Woody, and even the mechanical Maleficent dragon. Disneyland Paris is also the only Disney Park not located within the United States to be completely owned by The Walt Disney Company.
One of the U.S. Disney Parks, Walt Disney World, just recently ended a months-long negotiation between the company and the Cast Member Union after the contract expired back in October. The union demanded higher wages and more benefits for the Cast Members, a demand that the company was reluctant to meet.
While Disney World Cast Members finally reached a settlement with Disney in March, it seems it’s now time for the Cast Members at Disneyland Paris to take a stand. It was reported by the DLP Report on Twitter that today’s performance of “Disney Stars on Parade” was canceled at the last minute due to a strike by the Cast Members protesting their wages.
Disney Stars on Parade has been canceled at the last minute today due to a Cast Member strike action. pic.twitter.com/fAcNd4P5qu
— DLP Report (@DLPReport) May 12, 2023
A similar situation happened in February with the “Dream… and Shine Brighter” stage show and parade, with one performance being completely canceled and another performance completely missing the characters, only using the dancers. This was in response to Disneyland Paris hiring new performers that were paid higher wages than the performers that had been there longer.
It seems as though the issue still hasn’t been resolved, though it’s unclear if the protest will affect any performances after today. Hopefully the Cast Members in Paris will see similar results to the Walt Disney World Cast Members.
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