The Disneyland Paris Union held a Cast Member strike this morning, disrupting the park’s operations and making a statement regarding the employees’ pay and working conditions.
Disneyland Paris Union Cast Member Strike
As part of the ongoing struggle for increased pay and improved working conditions, Disneyland Paris Cast Members participated in a strike earlier today. We have some photos of the event below, courtesy of DLP Report.
The morning began with non-striking Cast Members clearing the stage area for the strike to take place. According to DLP Report, park guests arriving at Disneyland Paris in the morning were directed to the arcades to reach their destinations, and some believed a show was about to start since the area was being kept clear.
Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant can be seen at the end of Main Street, U.S.A., in the photo above. This is the Parisian version of Sleeping Beauty Castle.
Cast Members first arrived in Town Square to organize for their strike. While previous strikes have taken place behind the scenes, today’s demonstration was front and center.
The strike took place primarily on Main Street, U.S.A., while the park was open to the public. Guests were able to see the Cast Members demonstrating, cheering, and chanting for change.
One performance of the Dream… Shine Brighter Parade was canceled due to Cast Members demonstrating in this space. The parade was not able to traverse its usual route because of the Cast Members blocking the path. Disneyland Paris employees have been requesting an increase in wages and improved conditions for months. This is not the first time a parade performance has been canceled due to a strike.
Cast Members used the stage in Town Square to make their voices heard. So far, there have not been any improvements made to wages or working conditions despite multiple strikes in recent months.
The Cast Members exited the park after striking, allowing Disneyland Paris to return to normal operations. The next scheduled parade was able to perform without issue.
Ongoing Cast Member Strikes
Disneyland Paris Cast Members have been trying to incite change in their pay and conditions for months. Just a few weeks ago, a performance of Disney Stars on Parade at Disneyland Paris was canceled at the last minute due to yet another Cast Member strike.
Another similar situation occurred at Disneyland Paris back in February when protests against unequal pay caused one performance of “Dream…and Shine Brighter” to go on without any characters and another performance to be completely canceled.
You can watch a full performance of “Dream…and Shine Brighter” here.
Due to a pension reform bill that raises the pension age from 62 to 64, numerous protests and strikes have occurred in France over the past several weeks.
What do you think of the strike? We’d like to see your opinions in the comments below.
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