More than 100 Disney hotel maintenance workers responsible for keeping the company's luxe hotels up and running in southern California are suing the entertainment giant for allegedly paying them less than fast-food workers earn in the state and forcing them to moonlight at second jobs despite working overtime. "A ton of us have or had second jobs just to survive," lead plaintiff Charlie Torres told FOX Business.
Franchise owners of larger chains have to pay at least $20 an hour to anyone working there," said Zambrano, a partner at West Coast Trial Lawyers in Los Angeles. "So, they're making less than the people working at McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's." Prior to getting the better-paying maintenance job, Torres said he worked for Disney's food and beverage division, where the labor union maintained its own food bank for members.
key issue in the lawsuit is that Disney allegedly required the workers to provide their own tools, which, under California law, means they should be paid double the state's hourly minimum wage of $15.50. "Why does Disney just not have a warehouse of tools for people to use?" Zambrano asked. Some made as little as $17.50 an hour, he said.
Meanwhile, Disney is charging hundreds of dollars a night, depending on the location. Some rooms began at more than $500, an online search showed. Others cost more than $800. When they were hired, the employees were asked to spend hundreds on a set of required hand tools and replace them on their own dime multiple times a year, Zambrano said.