Master Services Council, which represents 13,000 Disneyland employees from four unions, filed unfair labor practice charges on Tuesday, June 11 on behalf of more than 500 workers who were disciplined for wearing union buttons with Mickey’s raised fist.

The charges will be investigated by the National Labor Relations Board, according to Master Services.

Today, Disney cast members announced that they have filed unfair labor practice charges against Disney on behalf of 13,000 workers at the resort for unlawful discipline, intimidation and surveillance of union members exercising their right to wear union buttons at work. pic.twitter.com/gg7CUk6JUh

— DisneyWorkersRising (@disneyrising24) June 11, 2024

“Disneyland Resort cast members may only wear buttons and pins that are a part of their costumes while at work so that the show is maintained for our guests,” according to Disneyland officials.

Disneyland cast members may be asked to remove any item that’s not part of the Disney Look and could receive a verbal warning and disciplinary action for repeated violations, according to Disneyland officials.

Less than a handful of Disneyland cast members have received disciplinary action to date, according to Disneyland officials.

The union cited a 1945 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allows employees to wear union insignia at work even if they must follow a dress code.

Disney Look dress code guidelines that famously regulate on-stage costumes, hairstyles, mustaches, beards, sideburns, nail polish and jewelry have been loosened in recent years to introduce more diversity and inclusivity into Disney’s theme parks, workforce and company culture.

The union coalition — which has been negotiating with Disney over a new contract since April — represents ride operators, store clerks, custodians, candy makers and other cast members, Disney parlance for employees. The contract expires June 16.

Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock sent a letter to employees on Monday, June 10 sharing the “heartbreaking” news of the death of Lear, who died last week after a tragic accident at the Anaheim theme park.

“I am very sad to share the heartbreaking news that we have lost one of our Disneyland resort cast members, Bonnye Lear, who passed away Friday after being involved in a tragic golf cart accident backstage earlier in the week,” Potrock said in the letter.

Lear, 60, of Fullerton was seriously injured on Wednesday, June 5 when she fell from a golf cart in a backstage area behind Critter Country. She died from her injuries on Friday, June 7.

ALSO SEE: State inspectors investigating fatal Disneyland accident

Lear, a 24-year employee at Disneyland, most recently worked as a Club 33 Senior Guest Services Manager. She previously worked in the Disneyland guest services, special activities and travel agency divisions.

“As you can imagine, during those two dozen years, she touched thousands of lives — both guest and cast,” Potrock said in the letter. “I have been reading so many wonderful tributes that describe Bonnye as a beautiful person who was kind, gentle, caring, thoughtful, sincere, warm, graceful and full of joy.”

I used to work with Bonnye, and she was quite literally the kindest human who worked at the Disneyland Resort. This is truly very sad for her family and fellow Cast at the Club. https://t.co/G7gXAVFQCr pic.twitter.com/KkHyh9gVXD

— Just Ask Danny (@just_ask_danny) June 8, 2024

Potrock extended his deepest sympathies and profound grief to Lear’s family and everyone who worked with her at the Disneyland resort.

“I’m confident that Bonnye’s kind, genuine spirit will live on through our caring interactions with each other,” Potrock said in the letter.

Disneyland is offering in-person and online counseling to employees who need mental health support following Lear’s death.

“We are focused on supporting Bonnye’s family and know this is also a difficult time for many of our cast members,” Potrock said in the letter.

Disneyland is fully cooperating with ongoing investigations being conducted by the Anaheim Police Department and Cal/OSHA, according to Potrock.

“Safety is our number one priority here at the resort,” Potrock said in the letter.

Lear’s most recent job was in Club 33, the members-only club in New Orleans Square that Disneyland bills as exclusive, world class and shrouded in mystery.

Club 33 was inspired by the VIP lounges Walt Disney experienced at the 1964 New York World’s Fair where It’s a Small World and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln first debuted. The private Disneyland club opened in May 1967 a few months after Disney’s death in December 1966.

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health is investigating the fatal Disneyland accident, according to the California Department of Industrial Relations.

Club 33 administrator Bonnye Lear, 60, of Fullerton was seriously injured on Wednesday, June 5 when she fell from a golf cart in a backstage area behind Critter Country. She died from her injuries on Friday, June 7.

I used to work with Bonnye, and she was quite literally the kindest human who worked at the Disneyland Resort. This is truly very sad for her family and fellow Cast at the Club. https://t.co/G7gXAVFQCr pic.twitter.com/KkHyh9gVXD

— Just Ask Danny (@just_ask_danny) June 8, 2024

Anaheim police detectives are investigating the traffic collision.

Disneyland is required to report any serious injury or fatality to Cal/OSHA within eight hours and preserve any physical evidence related to the accident.

ALSO SEE: Disneyland pauses Magic Key sales again on all annual passes

Following workplace accidents, Cal/OSHA safety engineers inspect and photograph the accident site and conduct employee interviews in private.

Disneyland is governed by Cal/OSHA’s Amusement Ride and Tramway Unit, but it remains unclear whether the special enforcement unit will investigate an accident that didn’t involve a theme park ride or attraction.

Following the investigation, Cal/OSHA enforcement safety engineers will file an Injury and Illness Incident Report and can take enforcement actions ranging from notices or citations to monetary or criminal penalties.

Disneyland officials have not yet announced whether any changes will be made to safety protocols involving golf cart seating configuration, speed restrictions or weight limitations.

“We are heartbroken by the loss of Bonnye and offer our sincere condolences to everyone who cared for her,” Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock said in a statement. “At this time, we are focused on supporting her family and our cast members through this tragic event and making sure they have the resources they need.”

New sales of all Magic Key pass types were paused on Wednesday, June 5 as the Disneyland resort manages the program, according to Disneyland officials.

ALSO SEE: Have Disneyland Magic Key prices finally outpaced demand?

Inspire, Believe and Enchant Keys are now only available for renewal. Imagine Key sales were halted in March.

Existing Magic Key annual passes can be renewed during the month before expiration.

The most recent sale of Magic Keys began in early March. The least expensive Imagine Keys – limited to only Southern California residents – sold out in less than nine hours.

Inspire, Believe and Enchant Keys have been on sale for three months – much longer than in the past.

During past sales, fans have waited hours for an opportunity to buy a Magic Key only to find out Disneyland has once again sold out of annual passes.

Disneyland raised Magic Key prices in October to $1,649 for the Inspire Key, $1,249 for the Believe Key, $849 for the Enchant Key and $499 for the Imagine Key.

Knott’s Berry Farm will celebrate the 90th Anniversary of Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant with a series of fried chicken feasts that stretch from Memorial Day Weekend to New Year’s Day.

“We just stuck with what Cordelia Knott did because that makes us unique,” Knott’s Marketplace director Melissa Laviano said. “We haven’t changed the recipe. None of it’s changed. It’s all the same. It’s the same recipe that we’ve carried on this whole time.”

Cordelia Knott served her now famous country-fried chicken for the first time on June 13, 1934 at the family’s roadside produce market to make ends meet during the Great Depression.

The Knott’s Berry Place market sold fruit and plants next to a small tea room where Cordelia offered sandwiches and hot biscuits along with homemade pies and preserves made from the family farm’s signature boysenberries.

While the pies and jams proved popular, it was the 65-cent chicken dinners served on Cordelia’s wedding china that put Knott’s Berry Place on the map and brought Depression Era diners flocking to the farm in droves.

Cordelia’s first fried chicken dinners were served with a salad, side of rhubarb, mashed potatoes with gravy, biscuits and a slice of berry pie.

As word spread, customers were soon waiting up to three hours in line to get a plate.

Cordelia’s tea room quickly grew from 20 seats to 40 and then 70 before expanding to a full-fledged restaurant with room for 350 people.

But the lines didn’t get any shorter. The crowds kept coming.

Those long lines convinced Walter Knott to build novelties and amusements to entertain the crowds while they waited for his wife’s fried chicken.

Walter built a rock garden with a waterfall and then a replica of George Washington’s fireplace from Mount Vernon. Then he started thinking bigger.

Construction began in 1940 on what would become Calico Ghost Town — which still serves as the heart of Knott’s Berry Farm today.

Walter bought pieces of old Wild West buildings and used them to build a sheriff’s office, barbershop and hotel. Actors were hired to populate the faux Western town and amuse the diners.

Soon people were coming as much for Walter’s ghost town as Cordelia’s fried chicken. A loudspeaker system was installed to call diners back to the restaurant when it was time for their reservation.

In the 1950s, the Calico Saloon, Ghost Town & Calico Railroad and Bird Cage Theatre were added to entertain the growing restaurant crowds. In the 1960s, the first true theme park attractions were introduced with the Calico Mine Ride and Timber Mountain Log Ride.

By 1968, Knott’s Berry Farm was enclosed and the new theme park began charging a $1 entrance fee. Today, what began as a roadside berry stand and chicken dinner restaurant attracts 3.9 million visitors a year to one of the nation’s largest theme parks with more than 40 rides and shows.

In the coming months, Knott’s is poised to become the flagship park in an $8 billion merger that would combine Cedar Fair and Six Flags into a North American amusement park juggernaut.

And to think it all started with a 65-cent fried chicken dinner dreamed up by Cordelia Knott as a way to make ends meet during the Great Depression.

Today, Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant serves 2,500 fried chickens on a busy weekend and up to 2 million pounds of chicken per year. The eatery bills itself as the world’s largest, full service, single location chicken restaurant with seating for nearly 900 people.

“We have guests that have been coming for 40 or 50 years,” Laviano said during an interview at the restaurant. “I love when they say, ‘It tastes like I remember when I came with my great grandma or when my parents brought me here.’ Now they’re bringing the next generation of their family and they want that same taste. You might not remember what the place looked like, but you remember how that chicken tasted or made you feel.”

Obviously, chicken dinners don’t cost 65 cents anymore.

Today, Mrs. Knott’s chicken dinner runs $20 at lunch for two pieces with mashed potatoes and gravy, biscuits and a side that still includes a rhubarb option. Dinner comes with four pieces of chicken and a slice of pie for $26.50.

After 90 years, there’s more than just fried chicken on the menu. Mrs. Knott’s offers other burgers, pasta, fish, BBQ pork and steak — but 90% of the customers still order chicken.

You can get your chicken fried, roasted, with waffles or dumplings, as tenders, wings or on a slider, in a pot pie and even as a plant-based chik’n.

“You’ve got to stay up with the trends and the fads if you still want guests to come in and come back,” Laviano said.

The long lines of the past were replaced by a reservation system in 2016 with a virtual queue that can stretch to two hours on busy weekends.

“Guests come in and they’re like, ‘Where’s the line?’” Laviano said. “I’m like, ‘Well, it’s virtual now.’ We’ll put you on our waitlist and we’ll reach out to you via text.”

The restaurant has a celebrity following that includes Nicolas Cage, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr., Mel Gibson and Tiffany Haddish.

No Doubt singer Gwen Stefani has been coming to Mrs. Knott’s restaurant for years — and now brings husband Blake Shelton along for the feast.

In the 1990s, the park experimented with Mrs. Knott’s Restaurant and Bakery locations in Irvine, Rancho Cucamonga and Moreno Valley — but they’re all closed now.

There used to be a few spots throughout the theme park where you could grab fried chicken, but now you’ve got to head over to CDR if you want to satisfy the urge.

Throughout the rest of 2024, the restaurant just outside the theme park front gates will offer a Berry Family Breakfast during the summer, a Midnight Breakfast Buffet during Knott’s Scary Farm, Cordelia’s Tea Party during the Thanksgiving season and Santa’s Breakfast during Knott’s Merry Farm.

Disneyland character and parade performers have been officially unionized now that federal labor officials have certified the results of a union election held in mid-May, according to the Associated Press.

Disneyland’s 1,700 character and parade performers — calling themselves Magic United — will be unionized under the Actors’ Equity Association after voting 78.7% in favor of unionizing.

“We respect our cast members’ decision,” according to Disneyland Resort officials. “We have a solid track record of working with the other unions that represent the majority of our hourly cast at Disneyland Resort and will work with Actors’ Equity Association as we remain committed to fostering a positive work experience for all.”

Equity has been circulating a list of key issues facing nonunion Disneyland characters and parade performers that include pay, annual raises, safety, costumes, scheduling, seniority and job security.

Disney princesses, Marvel superheroes and other character performers who work at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure make $24.15 per hour and an additional $4.75 per hour if they perform onstage, according to the Disney Auditions website.

Nonunion hourly employees like Disneyland characters and parade performers have received annual raises for as long as company records show, according to Disneyland officials.

While most of Disneyland’s 35,000 employees are represented by 26 unions, the park’s 1,100 character performers and 600 parade performers and support staff had not been unionized until now.

California’s minimum wage increased to $16 an hour in 2024 with the hourly rate set to rise to $18 in 2025. After a lengthy court fight, Anaheim’s Measure L boosted Disneyland’s minimum wage to nearly $20 an hour.

What will Disneyland build first? An Avatar themed land? A Marvel E-ticket ride? The Arendelle Castle from the World of Frozen?

The answer is likely far less fantastical and much more practical.

The Anaheim City Council gave final unanimous approval to the DisneylandForward proposal on Tuesday, May 7. The newly approved plan goes into effect in early June.

ALSO SEE: First look at Avatar themed land proposed for Disneyland

The DisneylandForward expansion plan updates a 1990s Anaheim city plan to allow for a mix of theme park, hotel, retail, dining and entertainment on the eastern and western edges of the Disneyland resort.

The Immersive Theme Park westside expansion envisions a theme park on the Downtown Disney and Lilo and Stitch parking lots woven amid the Disneyland Hotel and Pixar Place Hotel.

The Disney Entertainment Destination eastside expansion would bring together theme park experiences, hotels, retail, dining and entertainment on the Toy Story parking lot next to the Anaheim Convention Center.

DisneylandForward has dangled 10 themed lands based on Avatar, Tangled, Frozen, Peter Pan, Zootopia, Toy Story, Black Panther, Coco, Tron and Encanto as potential expansion projects in Anaheim.

Where does Disneyland start? What gets built first?

Disney executives have talked a lot lately about Avatar, Frozen and Wakanda themed lands — but those fantasy lands likely won’t appear at the Disneyland resort for at least a few years.

What Disneyland likely needs to build first is far less sexy.

The DisneylandForward plan includes an already approved 17,000-space parking garage on an employee parking lot along Disney Way. The new Disneyland garage — which would be one of the largest in the world — would be connected to the parks via a pedestrian bridge over Harbor Boulevard.

The DisneylandForward plan also calls for the eastside parking structure to have direct connections from the Santa Ana (I-5) Freeway — a complex project that would require cooperation from Caltrans and other state officials.

The parking garage, pedestrian bridge and freeway connection projects would likely need to begin before or in tandem with any World of Pandora.

Why?

Because Avatarland — which seems the likely contender to be the first DisneylandForward theme park project to break ground — is widely anticipated to be built on the Hollywood Land backlot area of Disney California Adventure.

The underused backlot isn’t large enough for a World of Pandora — but there’s plenty of space if Walt Disney Imagineering pushes the boundaries of the land out into the Disneyland bus depot along Harbor Boulevard.

The bus depot becomes obsolete unused space with the opening of the Eastside parking garage which could receive buses from the Toy Story parking lot and local off-property hotels. Disneyland would likely build a security checkpoint at the new Eastside garage like the one at the Pixar Pals and Mickey and Friends garages.

Disneyland also needs to address traffic issues before bringing millions of new visitors to the resort area to see all the wonders planned for the next four decades.

Disneyland has pledged to invest $85 million for street improvements in the theme park resort area — including widening Katella Avenue near Harbor Boulevard and expanding the sewer line along Katella.

Part of Disneyland’s pledge includes a $40 million payment allowing Disneyland to take over sections of city roads — including a stretch of Magic Way. Disney won’t take over Magic Way until the city completes intersection improvements along Ball Road at Disneyland Drive and Walnut Street.

DisneylandForward promises to bring millions more visitors to Anaheim.

The combined attendance of Disneyland and Disney California Adventure could nearly double from 26 million visitors today to 40 million to 50 million within 10 to 15 years if Disney builds everything in the DisneylandForward proposal, according to Dennis Speigel, an industry expert with International Theme Park Services.

All those people are going to need a place to sleep — which means a new Disney hotel will likely break ground early in the first decade of DisneylandForward.

DisneylandForward concept art of the Eastside retail area on the Toy Story parking lot features a central lagoon surrounded by shops and a low-rise hotel with a parking structure near the corner of Katella Avenue and Haster Street.

Getting visitors to the parks from the Eastside hotel and parking garage could be accomplished via “themed ride systems” like the Disney Skyliner at Walt Disney World or the former Tomorrowland PeopleMover at Disneyland — both mentioned as options in the DisneylandForward plan.

Details about the Avatar land proposed for the Disneyland resort and other initial elements of DisneylandForward coming to the resort will likely be revealed during the D23 fan event on Aug. 9-11 at the Anaheim Convention Center.

Beyond Pandora, a Frozen-themed land would be the next likely project to come out of the DisneylandForward plan. The World of Frozen themed land debuted at Hong Kong Disneyland in November and a similar Frozen Kingdom is coming to Tokyo DisneySea in June.

A carbon copy of one of the two Frozen lands or pieces from both would be a natural fit for the Disneyland expansion envisioned north of the Disneyland Hotel. The Disneyland expansion across Disneyland Drive would likely extend across a pedestrian bridge that connects at the dead end of Critter Country.

SEE ALSO: Look inside Frozen land pitched for Disneyland expansion

What comes next is anyone’s guess.

A Toy Story or Coco themed land would make sense as the first project in the Disney California Adventure expansion into the parking lot south of Pixar Place Hotel. The DCA expansion would likely extend across a pedestrian bridge that connects the Paradise Gardens food court and the Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind attraction.

A Coco land would pair nicely with DCA’s Paradise Gardens that has served as a base for Viva Navidad celebrations. A Toy Story land would expand Pixar Pier across Disneyland Drive toward the recently rethemed Pixar Place Hotel.

In the decades to follow, the Disneyland extension could get Tangled, Peter Pan and Zootopia lands while the DCA extension could get the Black Panther and Encanto lands dangled in DisneylandForward pitches over the past three years.

Imagineering could also go in a completely different direction based on a surprise Disney, Pixar, Marvel or Star Wars movie hit that hasn’t even been dreamed up yet. Anything could happen in the next 40 years now that Disneyland has been given the freedom to build whatever it wants.

The Patina Restaurant Group invested millions in the renovation of Paseo, Centrico and Tiendita  formerly occupied by Catal restaurant, Uva bar and Sprinkles cupcake bakery.

“The total costs were north of $25 million,” Patina Restaurant Group President John “JK” Kolaski said.

Patina’s trio of new Mexican cuisine eateries held grand opening ceremonies this week at Downtown Disney.

“We’re a family-owned company and they believe in the partnership with Disney,” Kolaski said during an interview in Paseo after the grand opening ceremony. “We want to be Disney’s best partner worldwide. This is a great example of the family, Delaware North and Patina Restaurant Group really committing to the future vision of Disney.”

ALSO SEE: 5 best things I ate at Disneyland’s Pixar Fest

Gaytan’s signature style combines Mexican flavors with a French haute cuisine culinary style. The Michelin-starred chef was the first Mexican-born chef to earn the coveted honor. He’s appeared as a contestant on Bravo’s “Top Chef” reality competition show.

Paseo and Centrico seek to maintain an authentic Mexican look and feel amid vacationing tourists streaming through Downtown Disney.

The contemporary Paseo dining room is filled with woods, leather, greenery and custom native accents celebrating Mexico’s culture.

With an open and airy design, the sociable Centrico outdoor bar is intended to capture the spirit of a Mexican hacienda with a 360-degree people-watching perch in the middle of the Downtown Disney promenade.

Award-winning Mexican architect Jorge Gracia, founder of Tijuana-based GraciaStudio, designed the interiors of Paseo and Centrico.

Mexico City-based design and carpentry company La Metropolitana created the custom restaurant furnishings.

Dinner reservations start June 1 for Paseo and Centrico. Centrico is also open for lunch with daily lunch and weekend brunch service coming soon for Paseo.

The 2024 Disneyland summer ticket offer is good for three-day, one-park tickets for visits between June 10 through Sept. 26.

Tickets go on sale May 29 and sales may be paused or stopped at any time.

The three-day, one-park per day tickets start at $149 for children and $249 for adults for admission Monday through Thursdays. That works out to just under $50 per day for kids and $83 a day for adults.

You can also get weekend three-day, one-park tickets good on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays for $199 for kids and $299 for adults. That’s $67 a day for children and $100 for adults.

All the tickets can be upgraded with the parkhopper option or Disney Genie+ line-skipping service.

By comparison, a one-day/one-park ticket costs $104 to $194 while a parkhopper ticket that gets you into both parks on a single day will set you back $169 to $259. The Genie+ line-cutting service typically costs $30 per day.

The three-day tickets don’t have to be used on consecutive dates. Advance reservations are required for each visit. Disneyland warns that reservations are not guaranteed and could be difficult to get as the ticket expiration date approaches.

The ticket deal stretches throughout the summer and includes Pixar Fest (which runs through Aug. 4), the “Fantasmic” nighttime spectacular (returning May 24) and Halloween Time (starting Aug. 23).

Disneyland is also offering 20% discounts on single night weekday stays at the Disneyland Hotel and Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel (but not the recently refurbished Pixar Place Hotel) and 25% discounts on stays of four nights or longer.

The hotel discounts are available June 10 through Sept. 26 and can be reserved starting May 29. The deals are not available on some suites and villas.

An Encanto themed land is the latest addition to the ever-growing line-up of possibilities that Disney continues to dangle as enticing possibilities for Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.

ALSO SEE: Disneyland excludes disabled people with discriminatory policy, group says

Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro told the Hollywood Reporter the Encanto franchise was among the “endless stream of stories” that could be told at the Disneyland resort.

“We will have enough room to build the equivalent of another Disneyland Park. And so then you start to think about, ‘Well what can we do here?’ ” D’Amaro told THR. “We haven’t told anything, any stories on Wakanda. We haven’t told any stories on Frozen, although it’s a 10-year old franchise. You think about franchises like Coco and Encanto. We almost have an endless stream of stories that we can tell.”

Walt Disney World unveiled plans in early April to transform Dinoland U.S.A. at Disney’s Animal Kingdom into a Mayan-themed Tropical Americas land featuring stories from Encanto and Indiana Jones.

ALSO SEE: 10 cutest Pixar Fest treats coming to Disneyland

The “Encanto” musical comedy film tells the story of the Madrigals, a Colombian family with supernatural powers who live in a magical house in the charmed and hidden mountain town of Encanto. Mischievous 15-year-old heroine Mirabel Madrigal is the only ordinary member of her multi-generational family without a magical gift such as the ability to talk to animals, make plants grow or control the weather.

Encanto has popped up at Disney California Adventure as part of the Viva Navidad seasonal celebration and as the centerpiece of a projection show on the It’s a Small World facade featuring the animated film’s hit song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.”

The latest Encanto tease from D’Amaro brings the number of potential themed lands coming to the Disneyland resort to 10.

DisneylandForward has dangled themed lands based on Avatar, Tangled, Frozen, Peter Pan, Zootopia, Toy Story, Black Panther, Coco, Tron and now Encanto as potential expansion projects in Anaheim.

The Anaheim City Council gave unanimous preliminary approval to the DisneylandForward proposal on April 16 with a final approval expected on May 7. If approved, the plan would go into effect a month later in early June.

What comes next as part of DisneylandForward will likely be revealed during the D23 fan event on Aug. 9-11 at the Anaheim Convention Center. Walt Disney Imagineering has had three years to come up with ideas since DisneylandForward was first announced.