Hundreds of Disneyland Resort Workers Are Suing Over Incomplete Pay, Lack of Breaks: 'Had Second Jobs Just to Survive' A class-action lawsuit was filed in Orange County Superior Court last week.
By Emily Rella
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
The happiest place on earth might not be so joyous for some Disneyland employees who claim they are struggling to make ends meet, according to a new lawsuit.
The class-action suit, filed in California's Orange County Superior Court on Thursday last week alleges that maintenance workers at hotels in Disneyland, California, were not provided with the tools necessary to complete their job, which left them paying for materials out-of-pocket without reimbursement.
Per California law, Disney is required to double the employees' minimum wage payment when maintenance workers are not provided with tools. The lawsuit alleges the payments were not made.
Related: Disney World, Disneyland Raising Prices on Passes, Parking
As of January 1, 2024, the state's minimum wage has been raised to $16 per hour.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of more than 100 employees at Disneyland Resort, including the main plaintiff Charlie Torres, who began working at one of the company's hotels as an assistant maintenance engineer in February 2022.
"Mr. Torres and so many others are told to cover the expense of tools used on behalf of Disney, who flouts the law and refuses to pay its workers what they're due," said Torres' attorney Ron Zambrano in a statement. "Disney is a massive company. They know the law."
The lawsuit also alleges that Disney did not allow employees meal and rest breaks on the job, did not compensate for overtime pay incurred during working hours, and did not provide final paychecks on time for employees who quit or were fired.
Related: Disneyland Hot Spot to Shutter After 22 Years
"A ton of us have or had second jobs just to survive," Torres told FOX Business. "I was working 48-plus hours a week in the mornings at Disney and delivering pizzas five nights a week for Pizza Hut."
Disney did not immediately respond to Entrepreneur's request for comment.
