The Walt Disney Company has reached a $233 million settlement with its own workers in the state of California. It marks the resolution of the largest wage theft lawsuit in California history.
The legal battle first started all the way back in 2019. Over 25,000 workers sued Disney, alleging that the company ignored Anaheim’s minimum wage laws. The law, named Measure L, which was introduced in 2018, requires companies receiving city tax rebates to raise their minimum wage to $15 an hour.
Disney failed to do that despite benefiting from a tax rebate linked to a 1996 expansion deal the company made with the Anaheim City Council.
Disney Pays Out $233M in California’s Largest Wage Theft Case in History
The settlement will provide back pay to workers stemming back to 2019. That figure amounts to around $105 million with interest. The agreement affects more than 50,000 current and former Disney employees. The decision will be reviewed by an Orange County Superior Court judge on January 17, 2025, for final approval.
The whole dispute really started back in February 2018. The coalition of resort labor unions released the results of a study that showed almost three-quarters of Disney workers interviewed for the survey said they did not earn enough money to cover their basic expenses. The result of the study led to a lawsuit which led to a victory for Disney’s underpaid workforce.
The minimum wage in Florida, the home of Disney World, is $12 an hour.
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The post Disney Settles California’s Largest Wage Theft Suit for $233 Million appeared first on VICE.
