Disneyland Paris has become mired in a major employee walkoff as hundreds of employees have joined a strike against the park causing rides to shut down and stage shows to be canceled as the first full week of June kicked off.
Hundreds of employees, some still wearing their stage show costumes, have begun marching through the park carrying signs and banners demanding a $215 per month pay raise, compensation for the 20-mile commute from Paris, and double time pay for Sundays, among other things, according to Variety.
The unprecedented number of employees who joined the picket line has nearly shut the park down, as all stage shows but one have been canceled and about 50 percent of the rides are let with no one to operate them.
Disneyland Paris warned visitors that the strike is causing major disruptions with a tweet saying, “Due to a planned strike at Disneyland Paris by our employees on Tuesday 6th June, certain shows or activities may be disrupted or even cancelled.”
The park added that it will remain open, but visitors are “welcome to postpone your visit to a later date.”
The Disney Parks and Hotels will remain open and we will do everything possible to continue to provide the best experience possible. If you wish, you are welcome to postpone your visit to a later date. 2/3
— DisneylandParis Help (@DLPHelp) June 5, 2023
One visitor blasted the park for having half the rides and most of the shows shut down, but every shopping stall and restaurant fully staffed as if managers prioritized making money instead of entertainment.
Despite more than 50% of rides being shut and not a single show running.
Every sales point, store and restaurant was fully staffed
You get the feeling the managers, despite strikes, managers can't let a penny of profit leave the park and i guess thats how they had the great…
— Jimmy Feather (@brokebritnparis) June 6, 2023
The strike began early in May, but has steadily grown as more and more employees have joined the picket line, Forbes wrote.
“Disney Stars on Parade has been canceled again today, with striking Disneyland Paris Cast Members sitting on the Parade Route,” Tweeted DLP Report. Protesters were chanting “the parade is us” as curious park visitors wandered aimlessly around.
Some employees are also warning that Disneyland managers have let the Paris park deteriorate. Forbes added that employees were tweeting photos of ” cracked props, exposed plaster and broken doors in the Studios park’s new Avengers Campus land. Others show peeling paint on the recently-refurbished castle and attractions which aren’t running.”
However, Forbes also pointed out that the park’s management concern, Euro Disney Associés, posted a $51 million operating profit last year, it’s highest in a decade.
The troubles for Disney in Paris come as the company is laying off up to 7,000 employees in the U.S. amid a string of woke flops at the box office.
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