Snow White, Mickey & Minnie Mouse And Tinkerbell Among Those Arrested At Disneyland

Protesters dressed as Cinderella, Tinkerbell, Mickey Mouse, Snow White and other fictional Disney characters were handcuffed, frisked and carted away from Disneyland.

It was over a labor dispute that involves maids, bell hops, cooks and dishwashers from the Paradise Pier, the Grand Californian and the Disneyland Hotel, all three hotels owned by Disney. The International Herald Tribune reports that approximately 600 people joined the protests and the result was that 32 people were arrested fro obstruction. In February the workers' contract expired and the corporation and workers' union have been in negotiations since. The workers' union claims that Disney's most recent proposal would make healthcare unaffordable for hundreds of employees as well as creating a two-tier wage system and that Disney wants to add a new category of part time workers that would receive reduced benefits. Disney's argument, via spokeswoman Lisa Haines, is that other union workers pay into their own healthcare and that Disney shoulders 75 percent of the costs and that by continuing to offer free healthcare to some, it is not fair to others. Haines also points out that these union workers have protested 14 times, but have only sat down to negotiate 11 times in the last six months. Haines goes on to state "Clearly we're disappointed that Unite Here Local 681 has spent more time protesting. Publicity stunts are not productive and are extremely disruptive to the resort district."

At the heart of the issue is a free health care plan that has been provided to Disney hotel workers through a trust fund that Disney and other unionized hotels in the area pay into.

According to Ava Briceno, the president of Unite Here Local 681, which represents the workers, "The other hotels around the area all have health care that is provided by the boss and have been able to get wage increases. At the other hotels in the same classification, for the same work, the workers get paid $2 to $3 an hour more." Briceno claims that in previous contracts the workers agreed to lower wages for the first three years of employment so that they would be provided with free healthcare and that now, under the new negotiations Disney wants to do away with free healthcare for new hires and that they want to create a new "class" of workers that work less than 30 hours a week, considered part-time workers, and they would not be eligible for sick or vacation pay nor given holidays. She also asserts that Disney wants to increase the number of hours for full-time workers in order for them to become eligible for the health plan. The protest shut down the major thoroughfare for over an hour as tourists, many with children, watched their beloved fictional Disney characters handcuffed and hauled away to jail. Video of the arrests and protest can be found at ABC7. The Sun offers a slide show of 9 photos, found here.