Another major theme park is heading toward a potentially turbulent fall.
Working at a theme park can mean spending long shifts outdoors, managing heavy crowds and maintaining carefully staged experiences regardless of extreme heat, difficult guests or physically demanding conditions. Behind the escapism, disputes over pay and protections have repeatedly brought workers and entertainment giants into conflict.
Disneyland experienced one of the industry’s most notable walkouts in 1984, when roughly 2,000 unionized employees went on strike for 22 days amid disagreements over wages and benefits.
Four decades later, the Anaheim resort narrowly avoided another shutdown. Hundreds of workers protested in July 2024 before union members voted 99% in favor of authorizing a strike. A new agreement was ultimately reached before employees walked off the job.
Similar tensions have emerged outside the United States. Around 1,000 Disneyland Paris employees participated in industrial action in 2023, seeking a €200 monthly pay increase, double wages on Sundays and improved working conditions. This saw entertainment disrupted during the summer.
Now, a labor dispute is intensifying at Universal Studios Hollywood, where workers have reportedly become increasingly open to striking as contract negotiations drag on.
Union Messages Take a Sharper Turn
Employees at the California theme park have recently been seen wearing buttons protesting what they describe as “poverty wages,” according to a guest report shared on Reddit.
The messaging represents a noticeable escalation from the film-inspired slogans that workers had previously displayed around the park.
“I’ve seen ‘We are not your minions’, ‘Don’t be a Grinch’, and ‘Universal runs on union power’ for months now,” the guest wrote. “Suddenly, I’m seeing ones that say ‘No more poverty wages’, so I figured things must have gotten worse if they stepped away from the cutesy messaging.”
Universal Studios Hollywood team members have reportedly been negotiating with the company since November 2025. No agreement has yet been announced, while frustration among employees appears to be growing.
“Apparently, Universal is being horrible to them in bargaining, and strike sentiment is growing,” the same guest alleged.
Workers represented by UNITE HERE Local 11 and IATSE Local 192 have already staged multiple demonstrations since contract talks began. Their demands extend beyond wages and include protections connected to immigration enforcement.
Earlier this year, union members marched through Universal CityWalk, the shopping, restaurant and entertainment district attached to the theme park. Employees called for specific safeguards governing the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Universal property.
“UNITE HERE Local 11 and IATSE Local 192 have proposed contract language that would ensure that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is not voluntarily allowed onto the Universal hill and backlot, and that NBCUniversal publicly condemns the use of violence, militarized tactics, or intimidation by ICE or other federal agencies against individuals, workers, or families,” UNITE HERE Local 11 said in a statement.
“NBCUniversal has not agreed to these proposed protections.”
The unions have continued applying public pressure. In June, workers held another rally calling on Universal to support employee rights during the ongoing bargaining process.
That demonstration also drew attention to Universal’s investment in Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, a major roller coaster currently nearing its opening – which, Universal insisted today, has not been delayed due to noise complaints from neighbors.
Workers highlighted the spending as they pressed the company for improved compensation and stronger contractual protections. Their argument places Universal’s attraction investment alongside growing complaints that employees are struggling with inadequate pay.
Strike Threat Builds Before Halloween Horror Nights
The dispute is escalating as Universal Studios Hollywood prepares for one of the most commercially important periods on its calendar.
Halloween Horror Nights will return on select evenings from September 3 through November 1. The annual event transforms the theme park with haunted houses, scare zones, live entertainment and the Terror Tram.
Confirmed attractions for 2026 include mazes inspired by Sinners, Stranger Things 5 and Hellraiser. The event typically requires a large seasonal workforce alongside the employees already operating rides, restaurants, retail locations and guest services throughout the park.
A walkout during the Halloween season could therefore create significant operational pressure, particularly on nights when large crowds arrive for the separately ticketed event.
No strike has been formally confirmed. The appearance of increasingly direct union buttons, however, suggests that workers are preparing guests for the possibility of further action if negotiations fail to produce an acceptable contract.
The slogans also offer a rare glimpse of labor unrest inside a venue designed to shield visitors from its behind-the-scenes realities. Employees portraying characters, preparing food, and operating attractions are now using guest-facing spaces to make their frustration visible.
Universal Studios Hollywood has continued operating while negotiations proceed. The company has not publicly announced a deal with the unions or agreed to the ICE-related provisions described by UNITE HERE Local 11.
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