Ride technician engineers at Legoland California have filed for a union election with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW), District Lodge 947, but claim management has brought in union avoidance consultants to deter their efforts. The workers, who maintain rides and perform safety inspections, say they are among the lowest-paid park engineers in California and face favouritism and nepotism.
William Corona, a business representative with IAMAW, said the workers are seeking fairness and recognition. “When we first got into the impact of what that meant with the workers, it got into extreme amounts of favouritism and nepotism. Some of these ride technicians are getting zero raises and it’s based on who you know,” he said.
One worker, who spoke anonymously for fear of retaliation, described micromanagement and arbitrary disciplinary enforcement. “We are the lowest-paid park engineers in California at the moment, I believe. Compared to Disneyland, SeaWorld, Six Flags, Magic Mountain, we’re one of the lowest, if not the lowest, in starting pay,” they said.
Since management became aware of the union campaign, the worker said union avoidance consultants from the law firm Littler Mendelson—used by Starbucks and Amazon—have held one-on-one and group meetings to discourage unionisation. The worker claimed consultants used fearmongering, including a sheet asking, “Do you want the union to have complete control over you?”
The workers await a ruling from the National Labor Relations Board on their bargaining unit before an election can be scheduled. Legoland California, opened in 1999 and acquired by Merlin Entertainments, is one of the most popular amusement parks globally.
