Interesting. I've heard something like it's 200 CPs total in CA as opposed to 7,000 in FL. I don't know if that's true, though. But I heard it on the internet...and you have to believe everything you hear on the internet.
Truth be told, you're not that far off. These numbers I have are from one of my Shop Stewards all so long ago, but I'm fairly sure it's still accurate (there really hasn't been any major expansion of the College & International Programs at either resort in the last few years). It certainly does seem like a fair breakdown just based on my personal experiences.
At the
Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, there are approximately 7350 Participants in all of the College & International Programs at any given time, breaking down as follows:
- 4000 Disney College Program Participants
- Disney College Program
- Culinary Externship Programs
- 50 Disney CareerStart Program Participants
- 3300 Disney International Program Participants
- Disney International College Program
- J-1 Academic Exchange Program
- Summer Work Program
- Cultural Representative Program
- Australia/New Zealand Work Experience
At the
Disneyland Resort in California, there are approximately 300 Participants in both the
Disney College Program and
Disney CareerStart Program combined.
I'm also a little confused about union dues. My packet said some roles require joining a union and others don't. How do I know if my role requires it and how much it will be? The upfront housing fees are scaring me and might be a challenge.
If you are in a role covered by a Collective Bargaining Agreement, you'll fill out the Payroll Deduction Paperwork and find out information upon arrival. Casual Regular Cast Member dues (which includes all CP Participants) generally average about $5-$10 per paycheque, with some Unions having initiation dues deducted over a period of time.
Just a note, California is not a "Right-to-Work" state. If you do indeed work in a role covered by a Collective Bargaining Agreement, failure to join and maintain Membership in Good Standing with the Union of the can lead to termination, per the terms of the relevant CBA.
When I left the
Disneyland Resort, Photopass Photographers were an Hourly Non Union role. However, they were also on the verge of joining Teamsters Local 495, which covers Attractions, Parking, and a few other areas. I don't know if that's come to pass yet.
Here's a listing of
Disneyland Resort
Disney College Program roles and their current Union status.
- Attractions
- Bell Services
- Cast Costuming
- Custodial
- Custodial Busser
- Dining Reservation Agent
- Office & Technical (Non-Union)
- Disney Desk Representative
- Entertainment Costuming
- Food & Beverage Host (Hotel Foods)
- Food Cart Cashier
- Food Prep
- Front Desk
- Guest Relations
- Guest Research
- Guest Services
- Lifeguard
- Parking Cashier (Hotel Operations)
- Photo Imaging
- Quick Service Food & Beverage Cashier
- Reservation Sales Assistant
- Office & Technical (Non Union)
- Resort Transportation & Parking
- Stores/Retail
- Ticket Seller
- Ticket Taker