The Los Angeles Times reports that unions representing workers at the Anaheim Resort have gathered enough signatures to place a Living Wage ordinance on the Ballot. Officials were turning in petitions with more than 20,000 signatures to the Anaheim City Clerk Tuesday morning. About 13,500 signatures are needed to qualify for the ballot.
From the LA Times:
The coalition of 11 labor unions that have been pushing for higher wages at Disneyland Resort, which includes the California Adventure Park and nearby hotels, says it plans to present a petition with about 20,000 signatures to the Anaheim city clerk’s office Tuesday morning.
A Disneyland representative deferred comment to a coalition of business groups in Anaheim that opposes the ordinance. In the past, Disney officials have said that the average annual pay for hourly workers at the resort is $37,000, which calculates to about $17.80 an hour.
Todd Ament, chief executive of the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce, which is part of the coalition, called the proposed living wage ordinance a “job killer” that would deter developers from building hotels in the city for fear of having to pay higher wages.
“It definitely will kill some construction projects already planned,” said Ament, who added that if the ordinance appears on the ballot, the chamber plans to campaign against it.
The unions say they are primarily targeting the Disneyland Resort, the city’s largest employer with about 30,000 workers, because they say Disney is profiting from millions in taxpayer subsidies while employees struggle to pay their bills.