Cynthia “Cyn” Carranza meticulously scavenged for a shady parking spot in the car she called home.

The overnight custodian at Disneyland has to sleep during the day - a difficulty for anyone, let alone when you're living in your car with two dogs. Ms Carranza says she makes $20.65 an hour (about £15.99) at the park but last summer, she couldn't afford rent in this Southern California city where the average apartment can run more than $2,000 (about £1,550) a month.

Ms Carranza teared up as she recounted the struggles of that summer, including sneaking for showers in Disneyland's costume department. She now shares a small apartment with her boyfriend, who also works at the park, but still makes barely enough to make ends meet.

“That’s not something that anybody should experience working a full-time job for a company like Disney,” she told the BBC.

Ms Carranza, like others who work at the park, detailed to the BBC the financial hardships that come with working at what’s supposed to be the “Happiest Place on Earth”. About 10,000 union workers at Disneyland - the first of 12 parks created around the globe - are threatening to strike over the wages and what they say are retaliatory anti-union practices.

Hundreds of workers protested outside the park this week, with an array of signs and pins showing Mickey Mouse's gloved fist in defiance.

“Mickey would want fair pay,” workers chanted outside Disneyland near the park's gates.

They are voting on Friday on whether to authorize a strike, days before union contract negotiations for workers are set to resume.

A vote to authorise a strike does not mean a strike is imminent, but it could set workers up to act quickly if negotiations sour. Authorisation also gives the unions leverage as talks continue next week.

The contract for cast members at Disneyland expired 16 June, and the current negotiations involves a coalition of unions that represent nearly 10,000 employees at the park, which includes everyone from those who work as characters and operate rides to sales, restaurant, and janitorial workers.

Union officials say........

© BBC