The Walt Disney Company and the union representing hundreds of hotel workers at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim have come to a five-year agreement. The new contract will include wage increases, affordable health care and decreased workloads for housekeepers. It also provides job security and seniority protection for both full-time and part-time workers. The union still has to vote on the contract, but it's expected to pass.
The agreement would put an end to a nearly four-year dispute that led workers to stage a series of protests. The workers' contract expired in February 2008. A key sticking point in negotiations was a free health care plan for maids, bell hops, cooks and dishwashers at three Disney-owned hotels that the resort wanted to eliminate.