Orlando, Florida –
Walt Disney World’s union of service workers reached a tentative agreement with the company on Thursday to raise the minimum hourly wage from $15 to $18 by the end of the year, setting the foundation for starting salaries across Central. made a possible agreement. Florida’s vast tourism industry.
Disney World service workers, who belong to the six unions that make up the Service Trades Council Union coalition, were scheduled to vote on the contract proposal next Wednesday after rejecting an earlier proposal last month that cut the $18 hourly minimum wage. . The deal covers approximately 45,000 service workers at Disney theme park resorts outside Orlando. If approved, workers’ wages could rise from $5.50 to $8.60 an hour by the time their five-year contracts expire, union officials said.
“Securing a minimum wage of $18 an hour this year, increasing the overall economic value of Disney’s first proposal, and ensuring full backpay for all workers are the priorities union members are determined to fight for. “We won that battle today,” said Matt Hollis, head of the union federation.
Disney said in a statement that the interim deal also included “industry-leading” perks in health insurance coverage and tuition reimbursement.
“Our cast members are the enduring heart of magic at Walt Disney World. I am pleased to have reached this provisional agreement.Walt Disney World Resort President Jeff Valle said in a statement.
Contracts with service workers include Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters, bus drivers, cook workers, lifeguards, theater workers and hotel workers, representing more than half of Disney World’s 70,000-plus workforce. The deal, which was approved five years ago, made Disney the first major employer in Central Florida to agree to a $15-an-hour minimum wage for hospitality jobs. set the trend for other workers in areas dominated by
The contract proposal with the resort’s largest group of workers comes at a volatile time for Disney World. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the Republican-controlled Florida legislature recently passed a bill giving the Republican governor the power to appoint a district governing board to oversee government services at the 27,000-acre (11,000-hectare) resort. . The board of directors was previously controlled by Disney.
The Disney district takeover began last year when the entertainment giant, facing intense pressure, publicly opposed so-called “Don’t Say Gay” laws. Not age appropriate.
DeSantis has built a national reputation as a culture warrior ahead of the anticipated Republican presidential election.
