Food-service workers at Universal Studios Hollywood say they continue to face food and housing insecurity as contract negotiations between the theme park and Unite Here Local 11 approach the one-year mark. The union, which represents about 1,700 food cart, bakery, restaurant and warehouse employees at the park, is seeking higher wages and changes to scheduling practices.

An internal union survey of 828 members found that slightly more than 60 percent had been forced to choose among food, medication or housing costs during the previous year. Nearly 53 percent said they sometimes went without eating despite being hungry because they felt they could not afford food, while almost 26 percent reported receiving assistance through SNAP, WIC, food banks or other services.

The union conducted the survey but did not disclose its methodology to The Hollywood Reporter. Its release came during tense negotiations and was intended to increase pressure on management. Even with that context, the findings broadly echo a UCLA Labor Center study from two years earlier covering workers represented by Unite Here Local 11 and IATSE B-192.

That earlier study found that 67 percent of workers said their earnings did not cover monthly food, housing and utility expenses. Fifty-three percent reported cutting meal sizes or skipping meals, one-quarter received food benefits, and 10 percent of employees hired in 2021 or earlier said they had experienced homelessness in the preceding years.

Workers Describe Reduced Hours and Rising Costs

Several employees said reduced schedules have intensified their financial difficulties. Food stand attendant Chris Lillian, 40, said he averaged about 40 hours per week last year but roughly 32 hours this year at $24 an hour, although he was receiving more work during the busy Halloween season. He said he had lost 20 pounds this year while stretching meals and described himself as “one emergency away from just ruin.”

Heather Saxxon, a food stand attendant earning $23 an hour, said she supplements her income by driving for Lyft and student transportation company HopSkipDrive. The single mother, whose daughter lives at home while attending college, said her hours also appeared to have declined despite her receiving the park’s “Team Member of the Year” title for 2025.

Saxxon said she largely eats at the Take 5 employee cafeteria while working because she cannot afford food sold elsewhere in the park. According to Saxxon, employees receive a $9.50 food voucher at work. She also said she has sometimes skipped medication, exhausted her credit cards and accumulated debt from basic living expenses.

Housing concerns are similarly widespread. Just over 11 percent of respondents to the union’s latest survey said they had been unhoused at some point while employed at Universal Studios Hollywood. A cook identified only as Cat, who lives in Section 8 housing and earns $28 an hour while working slightly less than 30 hours per week, said she nearly faced eviction earlier this year after falling short on rent.

A Worker Takes His Concerns to Donna Langley

The labor dispute recently surfaced at the University of Southern California law school’s annual entertainment law conference, where NBCUniversal Entertainment chairman Donna Langley was the keynote speaker. Universal cook Diego Rodriguez and a union staffer interrupted the event after Rodriguez picked up an unused microphone and then raised his voice when it did not work.

Rodriguez told Langley that he had been unable to afford housing near the park and had sometimes slept in his car or inside the park between shifts. According to Rodriguez and the union staffer, Langley said the theme parks were outside her corporate responsibilities and that she could not help. A Universal source who attended said Langley responded “compassionately” and promised to ensure that the appropriate people were informed. Universal Destinations & Experiences chairman and CEO Mark Woodbury oversees the parks.

Rodriguez has since moved into an apartment with a roommate in Los Angeles’ Pico-Union neighborhood, but said he does not know how long he can afford to remain there. During slower winter and early spring periods, the dual U.S.-Mexico citizen typically stays with family in Mexico, where living costs are lower.

Contract Talks Remain Unresolved

Unite Here Local 11’s current proposal has included a 20 percent raise over the life of a new agreement. The union has also sought 40-hour weeks for workers with seniority and the expansion of some six-hour shifts to eight hours. Its organizing director, Miguel Jauregui, argues that wage increases provide limited relief when employees’ hours are cut.

The existing contract expired nearly nine months ago. In September, more than 98 percent of voting bargaining-unit members authorized a strike, allowing negotiators to call one at any time. Talks, however, remain underway.

Universal said it has a history of working with labor partners on wage and benefit agreements, pointing to its recent deal with IATSE Local B-192, which represents more than 4,000 employees in comparable guest-service jobs. The company said its proposals build on wage increases secured in Unite Here Local 11’s 2023 agreement and that it remains available to negotiate in good faith.

A previous Unite Here agreement negotiated in 2024 gave qualifying employees a 23 percent raise over three years unless the new base wage for their position was higher. The union maintains that inflation and reduced hours diluted the effect of those increases.

ShowBiz Take

The dispute matters because the latest worker accounts closely resemble findings documented two years earlier. The central issue is no longer wages alone: employees say inconsistent hours can erase the benefit of a higher hourly rate, leaving some of the people serving the park’s food struggling to afford their own meals and rent.

What Happens Next?

Negotiators can continue pursuing an agreement, but the union’s overwhelming strike authorization remains active. With workers pressing for both higher pay and more predictable schedules, the unresolved question is whether the bargaining process can produce a deal before union leaders decide to use that authority.