Carnival Stories of Struggle

Most people think of amusement park rides as thrilling, but what many people do not know is that
the workers who are operating them and assembling or disassembling them have their own tales of
horror . . .

Roman and the Scooter

In 2007, Roman, a guest worker from Vera Cruz was helping to disassemble the “Scooter.” As he
was climbing to the top of the ride he fell. He does not remember whether he landed on his feet or
how he landed, but he dislocated three spinal disks, had to replace a plate in his ankle and his
wrist. He was in the hospital for 3 months. Immediately after he was released from the hospital
the employer sent him back to Mexico promising to bring him back after his recovery. To this date,
he has not been rehired nor has he recuperated completely from the fall. He has a 3 year old baby
he must support and he now can only work part-time because his injury is too painful.

Miguel and the Ferris Wheel

In 2006, as Miguel was assembling the Ferris Wheel, he fell from the top of the ride and broke both
his right and left ankles. Miguel was taken to the hospital for surgery and was told to return in 10
days to remove his casts. His employer negligently refused to take him to the hospital for this
appointment; in fact, more than a month passed before he finally made it to the hospital. As a
result this delay in removing the casts, Miguel continues to suffer from severely limited mobility in
his ankles.

Arturo and the Bumper Cars

Arturo loved the fair until he worked for one. Because his employer refused to provide Arturo with
protective gear while he worked to disassemble the bumper car ride, Arturo suffered severe burns
to his hands due to the extremely hot sheets of aluminum that had to be removed from the ride.

Screams at the Ticket Office

Workers who were unsatisfied with their pay and the working conditions at the fair, but could not
communicate with their employer in English, asked a family to help with translating their
grievances. The family volunteered a young girl to help with the translation. As the workers and
the family approached the ticket office to ask why they were not being paid as promised, the owner
of the fair yelled and insulted both the workers and the family. The little girl, unable to translate the
insults, burst into tears and asked to go home.

Jose Fights Back

Jose was recruited to work in the carnival industry as a guest worker in 2007 for New York-based
Dreamland Amusements. He was not informed of the type of job he would be performing, but he
was promised housing, and great pay. Upon his arrival in the United States, his passport was
confiscated and was informed that he would be working at a carnival. Jose immediately called
CDM and informed them of the situation. Through CDM’s involvement, the New York Attorney
General’s office pursued the case, and the parties recently entered into a settlement that allows
Dreamland workers to recover unpaid wages and provides for future protections for carnival
workers.