diff --git a/js/gdm/loginDialog.js b/js/gdm/loginDialog.js
index 6a8ae0a8b..7fbeb3ec1 100644
--- a/js/gdm/loginDialog.js
+++ b/js/gdm/loginDialog.js
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ const Clutter = imports.gi.Clutter;
 const Gdm = imports.gi.Gdm;
 const Gio = imports.gi.Gio;
 const GLib = imports.gi.GLib;
+const GObject = imports.gi.GObject;
 const Gtk = imports.gi.Gtk;
 const Lang = imports.lang;
 const Mainloop = imports.mainloop;
@@ -70,6 +71,9 @@ const UserListItem = new Lang.Class({
         this._userWidget = new UserWidget.UserWidget(this.user);
         layout.add(this._userWidget.actor);
 
+        this._userWidget.actor.bind_property('label-actor', this.actor, 'label-actor',
+                                             GObject.BindingFlags.SYNC_CREATE);
+
         this._timedLoginIndicator = new St.Bin({ style_class: 'login-dialog-timed-login-indicator',
                                                  scale_x: 0 });
         layout.add(this._timedLoginIndicator);
diff --git a/js/ui/userWidget.js b/js/ui/userWidget.js
index 314aae0ce..5286ad14e 100644
--- a/js/ui/userWidget.js
+++ b/js/ui/userWidget.js
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ const Clutter = imports.gi.Clutter;
 const AccountsService = imports.gi.AccountsService;
 const GLib = imports.gi.GLib;
 const Gio = imports.gi.Gio;
+const GObject = imports.gi.GObject;
 const Lang = imports.lang;
 const St = imports.gi.St;
 
@@ -117,6 +118,7 @@ const UserWidgetLabel = new Lang.Class({
             this._currentLabel = this._realNameLabel;
         else
             this._currentLabel = this._userNameLabel;
+        this.label_actor = this._currentLabel;
 
         let childBox = new Clutter.ActorBox();
         childBox.x1 = 0;
@@ -158,6 +160,9 @@ const UserWidget = new Lang.Class({
         this._label = new UserWidgetLabel(user);
         this.actor.add_child(this._label);
 
+        this._label.bind_property('label-actor', this.actor, 'label-actor',
+                                  GObject.BindingFlags.SYNC_CREATE);
+
         this._userLoadedId = this._user.connect('notify::is-loaded', Lang.bind(this, this._updateUser));
         this._userChangedId = this._user.connect('changed', Lang.bind(this, this._updateUser));
         this._updateUser();