[wenker]

Ok I just read a news story about a union of Disney workers who are being asked to vote on a strike. Anyone else know anything else? 53,000 workers are affected.

[disneyguy]

Not heard anything about this one, but will keep any eye out for it. Maybe you could post the source for everyone to take a look at the article.

[mmouse67l]

Here is a cut-and paste of what I was able to find. Looks like they dodged a bullet.

11.04.2004, 08:46 PM

After months of contentious negotiations, Walt Disney World and leaders of its largest union group agreed Thursday to a tentative contract that will likely avert a strike at the theme park resort.

A majority of leaders of the Service Trades Council, a coalition of six unions that represents 40 percent of the company's 53,000-person work force, will recommend approval of the three-year contract to its members when they vote on it next Thursday.

Earlier this week, union leaders advised members to reject the latest proposal and authorize union leaders to call a strike if further negotiations and mediation failed. But both sides found common ground during talks that lasted into Thursday evening. The ballot still will ask members to approve the proposal, or reject it and authorize a strike.

The contract covers hotel workers, costumed characters, bus drivers, ticket takers, ride operators and concession workers. Union members rejected two previous proposals.

"Neither side was totally pleased with the package," said Ed Chambers, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, Local 1625. "In my experience, when neither side is really happy, you got the best deal for everybody."

Disney backed down from what union leaders considered a deal-breaker: raising the number of job hours that are allowed to be worked by part-time workers. Union leaders considered it a way for the company to save on health care costs and other benefits given to full-time workers. Under the new proposal, workers will pay more toward their health insurance costs.

Earlier in the day, Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Polak called the contract proposal "fair and competitive."

Chambers said under the latest proposal:

_ Top-scale workers who currently earn $11.12 an hour will get a 20-cents-an-hour increase and a lump sum bonus of between $1,500 and $1,700 during the contract's first year. In the second year, they will get another lump sum, and in the third year they will get a 25-cents-an-hour wage increase.

_ The starting minimum wage currently at $6.70 an hour will increase 10 cents an hour for each year of the contract.

_ New hires will be able to enroll in the company's pension plan. Under previous proposals, Disney wanted new hires only eligible for a 401(k) plan.

_ Guaranteed weekly hours will rise from 30 to 32.

_ The threshold for being a full-time worker will go from 25 to 30 hours a week.

Walt Disney World's last strike was by some musicians in the early 1980s.

The Service Trades Council and the company have been negotiating a contract since May. Union leaders have picketed outside a Disney store in New York and passed out leaflets at the Orlando International Airport to protest the company's offer on wages and health care and pension benefits.

Walt Disney World is part of The Walt Disney Co., the theme park and media conglomerate that also owns the ABC and ESPN cable television networks. On the New York Stock Exchange, Disney shares rose 68 cents, or 2.7 percent, to close Thursday at $26.32.

[Erin]

So the most a person can make at Disney is 11.12 an hour?????

They just deserve so much more...
are their other benefits?!?!??!

[Metalfan]

Yeah it was definitely all over the news here in Central FL and late last night it was very nice to see that they reached an agreement. They were 1 vote away from going on strike!

[disneyguy]

Originally Posted by Erin

So the most a person can make at Disney is 11.12 an hour?????

They just deserve so much more...
are their other benefits?!?!??!

Yes, there are many perks to working at Disney. I am not sure about insurance or 401k's, but I do know they get free admission to the parks, highly discounted rates at the resorts, and highly discounted merchandice rates. That is a lot more in itself than other employers.

[Cavey]

Originally Posted by disneyguy

Yes, there are many perks to working at Disney...I do know they get free admission to the parks, highly discounted rates at the resorts...

I wouldn't call free admission to the place I work every day exactly a perk

Friends often tell me I should use my career experience to get a management job at WDW. I tell 'em "no way!" Working at WDW would ruin WDW for me. (Okay, in 30 years, I MAY be one of those parttime retirees who work at WDW. ) I once spoke with a CM who had worked MK security for 15 years. He said it had been a decade since he had used his free admission privilege.

[Dopey]

I am almost panicking now. Today I heard the tailend of a newsflash about Disney CM possibly still going on strike. Has anyone else out there heard that?

[disneyguy]

Dopey, I hadn't heard anything about any of this. I am not too worried yet. I think you will be fine.

[Dopey]

Your words in you know who's ears, disneyguy. Sitting here with fingers crossed.

[disneyguy]

It will be a while before anything really happens. I did hear from a source here on DC that they will be calling in a mediator before they actually do go on Strike. The mediator hasn't even been called in yet.

[Dopey]

Well now, that does sound like a few days might go by without anything affecting the parks and hotels. Mediation takes time. Thanks Disneyguy, thank you very much.

[Soundgod]

From MeetingNews.com

Disney World Workers Authorize Strike

NOVEMBER 12, 2004 -- Orlando, Fla. -- A labor strike at Walt Disney World moved one step closer to reality yesterday when union members overwhelmingly rejected a new contract and instead authorized their leaders to call a strike.

The vote, 3,686 to 2,827, came as a surprise, given that leaders for four of the six unions bargaining as a group with Disney management had urged their members to accept the new three-year contract.

The unions, negotiating under the umbrella, Service Trades Council, represents about 22,000 hotel and park workers, or about 40 percent of Disney World employees.

Despite the strike authorization vote, union leaders appear eager to avoid a walk-out. Joe Condo, who heads the Service Trades Council, said he would seek federal mediation.

"Right now we're not as concerned with a strike as we are with getting back to the table, to see if this vote has impressed Disney enough to move," Condo was quoted as saying.

A Disney spokeswoman said the company also welcomes federal mediation.

Disney management and the four union leaders last week tentatively agreed to a new contract after Disney rescinded its demands to increase part-time workers and drop new employees from the company's pension plan. The union leaders, in turn, backed away from higher wage increases.

But union members rejected the pay increases as too small and increases in health-care premiums as too large.

[Dopey]

Thanks Soundgod. I guess we will wait and see.

[15 mins to wdw]

basically the agreement that was first posted was some backwards working between disney and some of the unions affected not all the unions agreed to that or were at the bargining session and this may have driven a rift between the unions. the seal is still not enough with the way the cost of life has sky rocketed down here in the past year. they are supposed to start from scratch in the morning with a federal mediator. If that fails it could be really bad for tourism down here, becuase a strike would be likely during the holidays. it would also be a bad time for the local CM not getting a paycheck.

However it is important to note FL is a right to work state, basically meaning a union is very weak and you are not required to join the union, where I work we only have about 50% of the eligible people in the union and that is becuase we just got through a very tough contract negoitations and that actually drove up membership by 10%.

what does this mean, if there is a strike you will see CM that will still go to work and pick up some OT shifts to help out with holiday bills and so forth.