The Weekly Beast Volume III (Originally appeared in The Lariat 2/24/10)
Considering their past year’s revenue and projected earnings for 2010 Disney’s management found it appropriate to deny health coverage to over 2,150 hotel workers in California. By the end of their fiscal year back in October 3, 2009 Disney Corporation reported their earnings to the public. During our country’s worst economic recession since 1930 Disneyland managed to generate 36,000,000,000 dollars in profits. This astronomical figure is enough to pay off California’s debt with 16 billion dollars to spare. With these figures wouldn’t someone with a human heart continue to provide healthcare premiums without burdening their already suffering employees? Disney’s answer is a resounding no.
Many unions have caved-in to pressure from Disney officials and from economic constraints completely out of their control (recessions, financial sector meltdowns…little things like that). However one union has decided to stick their guns, and so have the 2,150 workers who are members. Unite Here! Local 11 has been waging a public battle with Disneyland Hotel for over two years. The Union along with a handful of its members have gone on hunger strike only consuming water for days at a time. The first hunger strike occurred February 9th in front of Disney’s Grand California Hotel & Spa; eight individuals have consumed only water for a week straight. The topical issue of healthcare was/is at the center of the grudge. Healthcare up until two years ago was virtually free for all employees working for the hotel. However that is all changing without any type of negotiation Disneyland is forcing workers to pay up to $500 a month for health insurance.
Just a few months ago in December of 2009 Unite Here! Local 11 organized two separate walkouts. The walkouts were aimed at an issue apart from health care premiums. Non-negotiated additional workloads have been forced onto hotel workers. Larger beds, and heavier sheets have resulted in more and more reported on-the-job injuries. Kirill Penteshin an attorney for Unite Here! has clarified the new working conditions saying that the original bedding was 3 pounds and now it is 9 pounds, and stretches a yard farther in each direction. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration reports have illustrated the point that since the installation of new amenities workers have reported over 53 injuries.
The hunger strike has generated interest in many people from different walks of life. Anaheim City Councilwoman Lorri Galloway, United Farm Workers of America co-founder Dolores Huerta, and even Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine played a short concert at the rallies in front of Disney’s Grand California Hotel. Community religious leaders have held vigils and have given words of support to the strikers. Shakeel Syed director of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California to quote Syed, “Workers here are upholding the timeless and universal call for justice by fasting and praying to heal the hearts of those who hear not - of the silent cries of the workers, their children and their grandparents…human society driven by the business and industrial machine has the lethal capacity to deaden our spirits.” The strike has ended in Anaheim but is planned to be continued at Disney’s Burbank headquarters.
A common and misguided rant against the hotel workers is that they have applied at these jobs and that they have the freedom to leave at anytime if they chose to. This is completely meaningless rhetoric, one that tries to enforce the myth of “endless social mobility”. In fact it is a contradictory and self-defeating philosophy, one could also say why doesn’t the company just choose to be more decent? People have jobs to provide for themselves and their families. One could only be ‘free’ to walk away from a job if they’re willing to jeopardize their family and security. Support Disney Hotel workers, contact Unite Here! and if you can try to ditch those Disney Season Passes.
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