Pay Raise Confirmed For Some Unionized Disney World Cast Members, But Many Are Still Furloughed

Part of why Disney guests love the parks so much is because of the cast members: this group does everything they can to make sure that everyone has the most magical vacation possible.

Cast Member at Pizzerizzo

Many of Disney’s workers returned to the parks when Walt Disney World reopened this summer. And we learned yesterday that some cast members who have been called back will receive a raise in October.

According to the Orlando Hotel and Restaurant Workers Movement Facebook page, as of October 4th, Disney Food & Beverage workers will have their minimum wage raised from $13 to $14 per hour. Those who work in Mousekeeping will get a base pay raise from $15 to $16 per hour. Cast members who make above minimum wage will get a 75 cent raise.

Cast Members Cleaning in Galaxy’s Edge

But this news is also bittersweet: thousands of these cast members are still furloughed, and many of those work in Food & Beverage and Mousekeeping. Only some of Disney World’s resort hotels are open, with several reopenings now having been delayed. The Polynesian Village Resort reopening was recently pushed back to 2021 for refurbishment, and some resort hotels in Disney World still have no known opening date, which means many Mousekeeping cast members have no idea when or if they’ll be called back. In Food & Beverage, some locations are re-closing for portions of the week due to low demand, and some locations have re-closed altogether.

We would like to ask that all guests remember to please be respectful to those cast members currently working. Things are definitely a lot different in the parks right now, and they are working with a situation that constantly keeps changing.