Disney, Union Workers Clash Over Healthcare

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A new labor clash pits image-conscious Walt Disney Co. against Unite Here Local 11, an aggressive union known for its street-theater militancy.

Local 11 says the company, which took in $4.4 billion in net income last year, has betrayed Walt Disney’s family-friendly ethos by asking 2,100 employees of three hotels to pay a share of their premiums if they seek company healthcare.

Disney is seeking to shift the workers into its Signature plan, in which the company pays 75 percent of all premiums. The rest would be deducted from employees’ paychecks. The plan, says Disney, more accurately reflects the healthcare cost-sharing prevalent in the workplace.

Union supporters last week dressed as Snow White, Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters staged a mass “sick-in” while Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger was scheduled to speak inside the convention center. Disney accuses Local 11 of putting more time into protests than bargaining.

• Read the full Los Angeles Times story.

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