Posts tagged Orlando
Disney’s best offer for union employees falls short, according to the workers’ unions
January 12, 2023 // ORLANDO THEME PARKS Disney's best offer for union employees falls short, according to the workers' unions The STCU, a coalition of six labor unions representing 42,000 Disney employees, recommends rejecting the latest offer By McKenna Schueler on Tue, Jan 10, 2023 at 11:26 am SEND A NEWS TIP STCU union members rallied in between bargaining sessions on Wednesday, Nov. 30 - photo via Unite Here photo via Unite Here STCU union members rallied in between bargaining sessions on Wednesday, Nov. 30 After months of contract negotiations, and a rally to bring attention to the need for the Walt Disney Co. to pay its Orlando employees wages that keep up with the cost of living, the unions representing Disney workers say the company's "best offer" falls short. "Disney workers are facing extreme financial difficulties including inflation, which has caused the price of food and rent to skyrocket," the Service Trades Council Union, a coalition of six labor unions representing 42,000 Disney employees, shared in a news release. According to the unions, Disney unveiled its "best offer" for its Orlando employees during contract negotiations on Monday. The offer, in line with what Central Florida's largest employer floated last year, is an immediate $1 raise for the majority of their union workers in 2023, which would bring the minimum wage for their lowest paid workers to $16 an hour, and a $1 raise annually over the next five years. But the unions say this isn't good enough. The STCU has called on Disney to establish an $18 minimum wage, and a $3 pay raise in 2023 for workers who already make near or above that, to keep up with the higher cost of living in Central Florida. Leadership of all six unions have recommended that union members reject the latest offer from Disney. "Sixteen dollars per hour in 2023 does not keep up with the rising cost of living," said the STCU. "Every worker needs an initial raise larger than $1 to address these concerns."
First Orlando, Now Vegas: Convention-Center Labor Strikes Authorized
December 14, 2022 // For event planners seeking to avoid a similar labor crisis that could derail their events, veteran events-industry attorney Joshua L. Grimes, Esq., of Grimes Law Office in Philadelphia, offers these thoughts: “If your event is coming up soon, I think it’s appropriate to ask the host facility specifically how they intend to handle things if the union members strike. The answer given to groups is usually, ‘Don't worry, we're going to take care of it.’ But without a labor agreement in place, I would say it's reasonable to ask the in-house catering company for a detailed backup plan. And if a group does not have confidence in what it hears, the group could demand the right to bring in its own caterer” or to use other options such as food trucks. Further, “due diligence requires that a group not wait until a few days before the event to start asking questions. There's a legal doctrine called ‘anticipatory breach’ that says a group may not need to wait until the last minute to see if foodservice can be provided at an acceptable level of quality. If it's clear that the in-house caterer won't be able to perform its contractual obligations, the group may be able to cancel the foodservice contract before the event starts and proceed to make alternate arrangements to get F&B for its guests” at an acceptable level of both product quality and service quality.