Assembly members, local elected officials and members of the community rallied around the fasting Disney hotel workers during a lunch time rally on February 15, 2010, outside the Disney Grand Californian. The workers are in the seventh day of a fast to show Disney they are serious about getting a fair contract. Hotel employees in the Grand Californian, Paradise Pier and Disneyland Hotels have been working without a contract for two years. A major issue is the cost of health care for employees and their families.
La Habra Councilmember Rose Espinoza was at the event, talking with the fasters. Rose has won the Presidential Thousand Points of Light Award, among many other awards, for her community activism. Rose founded Rosie's Garage to tutor children in her neighborhood in La Habra.
Tom Walsh, President of Unite HERE! Local 11 introduced the speakers. He let the crowd know that the event is drawing attention worldwide as people are finding out about the fasting Disney hotel workers.
Assemblymember Jose Solorio reminded the fasters, "You're on the right side of history with this important cause." Assm. Solorio told about being with Cesar Chavez, founder of the United Farm Workers, during his last fast. Assm. Solorio grew up in the Central Valley of California and worked in the fields with his parents. The fasters were presented certificates from the California Assembly for their efforts to bring justice to their workplace.
Assembly Speaker Elect John Perez, a former UFCW 324 organizer, summed up his perspective on the issue, "Disneyland has always been a magical place, so the treatment of workers at Disneyland sends an important message about how we want California to be and how we want to treat our workers." He added, "I want to thank the workers for their strength and their dignity in bringing this battle to our attention."
Anaheim City Councilmember Lorri Galloway, who has been targeted by Disney during elections for taking a stand for workers, thanked the fasters for "standing up and sacrificing."
Jorge Iniestra, a bellman at the Disneyland Hotel and a fasting worker, asked the crowd, "Please excuse me if I'm a little slow because I haven't eaten in six days. This has been an emotional and spiritual experience. We have prayed, we have laughed, we have held hands and sang while we were out on this sidewalk. We will come out of this as different people." Jorge became emotional when he talked about Elpy Escobar who had to be taken in an ambulance to the hospital on Sunday. "She was crying," Jorge told the crowd, "and we were crying. She gave a thumbs up and said 'Si se puede' as they were wheeling her into the ambulance."
Jorge presented picket signs signed by the fasters to the Assm. John Perez and Jose Solorio and Councilmember Lorri Galloway. He described Galloway as "a 24 hour, tireless fighter against big corporate interests." Jorge explained how the fasters made it thru their trial by the support of the community, elected officials, and coworkers. Some community members and coworkers joined them for part of the fast. He described the support of Assm. Perez and Solorio and Councilmember Galloway as "Our gratitude towards them is not temporary, like what they do for us is not temporary."
State Senator Gloria Romero, who has helped Unite HERE! during their efforts in Los Angeles County, questioned why Disney has money to expand while not being able to pay for health care benefits for working families. "Disneyland is expanding by a billion dollars over the next few years. Why do they have billions to build fantasies but they don't have money for working mothers?", she asked.
Anaheim City Schools Trustee Jose Moreno explained that the problems faced by Disney workers trying to care for their families quickly become problems for his school district because parents working long hours are unable to help their children with homework or attend school activities. Moreno added, "These families are facing working poverty while schools push for higher and higher test scores."
Assm. Hector De La Torre reminded the audience, "It's a question of fairness and justice with workers giving their all to the happiest place on earth. It takes a lot of hard work to create that illusion. Disney can afford to treat their employees with fairness."
Two new members have joined the fast. These members will be traveling to Disney headquarters in Burbank, CA, to show company executives they are serious about wanting a fair contract.
Disney has put forth a plan which would cost a family of four $500 a month, which is nearly one week salary, before taxes, for workers which make up to $13/hr ($520 for a 40 hr workweek.) Additionally, Disney would like to re-classify some of the workers as part-time workers, which would make them ineligible for the benefits package. As Ada Briceno of Unite HERE! has pointed out, this group of hotel workers are wage earners supporting families, not high school and college students working part time. The benefits package offered to the other Disney resort employees is not appropriate for these workers.
For more information, see Disney is Unfaithful. Blogs of the fasting workers, press and media clippings, and a history of the problems at Disney are available at the site. On Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at 5 PM, there will be a rally when the workers break their fast.
Fasting workers are Kristi Richards (cashier at Grand Californian), Antonia Castro (cook at Disneyland Hotel), Narciso Guevara (houseman at Grand Californian), Maria Navarro (housekeeper at Grand Californian), Ruben Flores (laundry host at Paradise Pier Hotel), Elpy Escobar (LAX), Ronald Martinez (LAX), Eddie Carrington (laundry worker at Disneyland Hotel), Richard Silva (son of Disney employee injured at work), Jorge Iniestra (bellman at Disneyland Hotel.)
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