Disney Vacation Club sales personnel working out of the west coast office at Disneyland Resort have filed to join UNITE HERE Local 11.
Via its Daily Pilot site, the Los Angeles Times is reporting that DVC sales "Guides" working at Disneyland have filed with the National Labor Relations Board to join an existing union. UNITE HERE Local 11 currently represents nearly 3,000 Disney employees and more than 32,000 hospitality workers in Southern California and Arizona.
DVC sales representative Jason Polito shared frustrations with the Times, citing post-pandemic work conditions which eliminated assistants and placed greater responsibilities upon the front line sales staff. Polito also referenced changes to the commission structure as a source of friction.
A press release issued by UNITE HERE claims that Disney attempted to discourage the move to unionize by terminating several long-time employees. According to DVC sales representative Rana Salama, "we started talking with each other about how we could make a difference at work, and then our leadership team started acting strange. They pulled some of us into meetings and finally fired three people who were involved in the organizing efforts—including two of our best sellers and one person who had almost 13 years of experience.”
In September 2023, Disney Vacation Club optioned The Villas at Disneyland Hotel, just the second DVC location at Disneyland Resort. Polito claims that the Disney Vacation Club product is selling well. However, he hopes that employees will get better representation, telling the Times that union membership would allow them to "craft an employment contract that would address all of these issues, ranging from pay to business operations, as well as job security.”
Source: Daily Pilot / LATimes.com
