Disneyland hotel workers walk off job Friday

By Barbara De Lollis, USA TODAY
June 11, 2010

Disney visitors faced a picket line along the street that leads into the theme park, the Associated Press reports. Union representatives say that Disney hotel guests faced other disruptions, since the hotels lacked housekeepers, bellman and other staff.

"They do intend to go back to work tomorrow, but nothing is certain at this point," Leigh Shelton, spokeswoman for Unite Here, which represents the workers, told Hotel Check-In.

The AP article suggests that "dozens" of workers walked off the job at the the Disneyland, Grand Californian and Paradise Pier hotels.

But Shelton said that 350 people left their jobs at 8 a.m., and that the temporary action turned into a day-long strike. The action was sparked by what the union calls an unfair firing of a hotel bartender who had served as a shop steward for 20 years.

Disney spokeswoman Suzi Brown told the AP that the action was a publicity stunt.

Shelton said the action came amid contentious negotiations between Disney and the group of about 2,000 unionized workers. Disneyland hotel workers have been working without a contract for about two years, with healthcare being one of the main points of disagreement, Shelton said.

Disney tried to get replacement workers but "from what we hear, managers are cleaning rooms," Shelton said. In two of the hotels, all of the housekeepers walked off the job, while the bellman walked off the job in all three hotels, she said.