Wage and Benefits Dispute Fuels Disneyland Protests

Approximately 2,300 maids, bell hops, cooks and dishwashers at three Disneyland hotels have been working without a union contract since February, and the members of Unite Here Local 681 have taken to staging protests outside Disneyland in an effort to draw attention to their cause. According to the union president, Ada Briceno, the Disneyland hotel workers are not receiving health care benefits comparable to other hotel workers in the area, and their wages are $2 to $3 an hour less. At the prostests yesterday, several protesters dressed in costume as Tinkerbell, Aladdin, Mickey Mouse and others were arrested, making for some interesting photos in local newspapers.