Overview

• Orange County Superior Court Judge William Claster granted final approval last week, clearing payouts to more than 50,000 current and former employees in what worker attorneys say may be California’s largest wage-and-hour class settlement.
• The case turned on Measure L, which set a higher minimum wage in the Anaheim Resort District for employers receiving city subsidies, after an appellate court found a 1996 Disney–Anaheim agreement brought the company under the law and the state Supreme Court declined review.
• A coalition including UNITE HERE, UFCW, SEIU and the Teamsters led the ballot drive and organizing that put Measure L on the books and pressed for enforcement, with union members calling the approval a validation of that strategy.
• Disney says most cast members already earn competitive wages, stating that nearly 96% make over $22 per hour, which exceeds the current Measure L requirement of $20.42.
• Individual awards will vary by tenure and role, with some long-serving workers expecting tens of thousands of dollars in back pay plus interest and related recoveries, including boosts to retirement accounts.