How will this new labor agreement impact Disney Vacation Club owners and their annual dues?
Members of the Master Services Council have approved a new 3-year contract with Disneyland Resort. 14,000 Cast Members will benefit from a starting wage of $24 per hour which rises to $26 over the course of the agreement. The new deal also includes longevity increases for employees with more than 10 years of service. For most employees, increases will be back-dated to June 17, 2024.
Disney Vacation Club annual dues exist to cover the operating costs for each timeshare location, including The Villas at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel and The Villas at Disneyland Hotel. DVC representatives have frequently stated that approximately 75% of the resort operating budget is made up of wages and benefits for resort staff members. With some Master Services Council members receiving increases of 31% over the course of the deal, what does this new contract mean for DVC owners?
In all likelihood, not much. Members of the Master Services Council fill positions that include attractions operators, custodians, gift shop clerks and confectionary workers. While some of these Cast Members may operate within the Disneyland hotels, the bulk of them fill roles in the Disneyland and Disney California Adventure theme parks.
A separate labor union--Unite Here Local 11--represents the bulk of the hotel workers including housekeeping and bell services Cast Members. Although it is unclear exactly when Local 11's contract will next be up for renewal, the three Disney owned-and-operated resorts in Anaheim are not on the union's renewal roadmap for 2024.
Back in April, the Los Angeles Times reported that Disney Vacation Club sales staff in California petitioned to join Unite Here Local 11.
In March 2023, 45,000 members of Walt Disney World's Services Trades Council Union approved a multi-year contract which included an immediate minimum wage of $18 per hour, rising to $20 per hour by 2026. Similar contracts signed in recent years have contributed to the rise in annual dues at all Disney Vacation Club resorts. However, it comes as a result of increasing compensation for resort housekeepers, front desk staff and other DVC resort workers.
