Breaking News! Union Vote Is In!

[Thelazer]

3686 - No
2827 - Yes

Stay tuned, this just got more interesting!!!

 

[jcraycraft]

Disney Union Members Vote Against Contract

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/busi...y111104,0,91058.story?coll=orl-home-headlines

UPDATE

Unions vote against Disney contract
Associated Press

November 11, 2004, 9:47 PM EST

LAKE BUENA VISTA -- Members of Disney's largest union group voted down a contract proposal Thursday for a third time and authorized union leaders to call a strike if necessary.

Union members cheered when the vote was announced: 3,686 against and 2,827 for the contract.

"We voted it down!" said Tina Walden, 48, a vacation planner at Walt Disney World.

A strike is unlikely in the near future, because union officials first plan to call for a federal mediator.

Opponents of the contract said the proposed wage increase was too small to offset the increases in health care costs.

The contract proposal from the Walt Disney Co. was offered to six unions that cover 40 percent of the theme park's 52,000-person work force. It has divided the Service Trades Council Union, the six-union group that represents laundry workers, costumed characters, bus drivers, hotel and concessions workers and others.

Two of the member unions, the Teamsters Local 385 and the Unite HERE! Local 362, advised their members to reject the contract proposal. The two unions cover about 6,000 workers. The other four unions recommended approval.

"They're for family values," Mike Stapleton, president of Teamster Local 385, said of Disney. "I think family values are putting food on the table and getting medicine for your children."

Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Polak called the proposal "fair and competitive."

"We've reached an agreement that is good for both cast members and the company," Polak said.

Union members have rejected two previous contract proposals since talks began in May. To show their dissatisfaction with previous proposals, union leaders picketed outside a Disney Store in New York and passed out leaflets to tourists at Orlando International Airport.

The vote was being closely watched because Disney World sets the standards for wages and benefits in Orlando's tourism-driven job market.

Disney bus driver Mike Luff, who earns $13.52 an hour, worried that the new contract would have allowed Disney to use more part-time workers, who aren't paid benefits, to save money. That could have cut into the eight to 13 hours of overtime he earns each week. He voted against the proposal.

"They want to eliminate most of the overtime," said Luff, who is a Teamster.

Under the contract proposal:


Nontipped workers who currently earn top scale would have received 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 would have received another lump sum, and in the third year they would get a 25-cents-an-hour wage increase.


The starting minimum wage of $6.70 an hour would have increased by 10 cents an hour for each year of the contract. Other workers in between the minimum and top scale wages would have received a 4 percent annual increase.


The company would have guaranteed 32 hours of work a week, up from 30 hours.


The threshold for receiving benefits would have gone from working 25 to 30 hours a week.


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http://www.wesh.com/news/3912882/detail.html

Disney Union Members Vote Against Contract

POSTED: 9:37 pm EST November 11, 2004

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Members of Disney's largest union group voted down a contract proposal Wednesday for a third time.

They also authorized union leaders to call a strike, if necessary.

Union members cheered when the vote was announced: 3,686 against and 2,827 for the contract.

A strike is unlikely in the near future because union officials first plan to call a federal mediator.

Opponents of the contract said the proposed wage increase was too small to offset the increases in health care costs.

Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Polak called the proposal "fair and competitive."

The contract proposal from the Walt Disney Company was offered to six unions that cover 40 percent of the theme park's 52,000-person work force.

They represent laundry workers, costumed characters, bus drivers, hotel and concessions workers and others.

 

[speck76]

"They want to eliminate most of the overtime," said Luff, who is a Teamster.

Every company wants to control overtime.....why should WDW be any different?

Just a side note, I caught this from the Oriental Land Company website....

Number of Employees Regular employees 2,222 (as of April 1, 2004)

Part-time employees 18,501 (as of April 1, 2004)

Maybe one reason OLC can afford to spend so much more on attractions and entertainment is that they are not spending the money on healthcare, overtime, and benefits.

 

[mwc1996]

Where I work we aren't allowed to work hourly employees over 40 hours a week without executive approval because we don't want to pay overtime. Why wouldn't Disney want to limit overtime pay? It' the smart thing to do! Health care cost are going up for everyone not just disney employees. My raises each year are barely enough to cover the increased health care costs. If yuo don't like it write your congress represenatitive and tell them you want legislation passed limiting liability for healt care providers. Americans love to sue and that it what is driving up the cost.

(steps down off of soap box)

only 7 days until we leave but who is counting?

 

[cm1988]

Where I work we aren't allowed to work hourly employees over 40 hours a week without executive approval because we don't want to pay overtime. Why wouldn't Disney want to limit overtime pay? It' the smart thing to do! Health care cost are going up for everyone not just disney employees. My raises each year are barely enough to cover the increased health care costs. If yuo don't like it write your congress represenatitive and tell them you want legislation passed limiting liability for healt care providers. Americans love to sue and that it what is driving up the cost.

(steps down off of soap box)

only 7 days until we leave but who is counting?

FYI, lawsuits and the resulting increased liability insurance costs to health care professionals account for 8% of cost increases. 92% are due to other reasons (I dunno what).

But - back on thread - one wonders how the Cast will invest their 20-cent raises. It amounts to... good grief... a full $6.40 (before taxes) per 32-hour week. $300 per year... or $30,000 per century, if you prefer.

Well, it's enough each week to buy a tube of toothpaste, to brighten their smiles.

 

[speck76]

FYI, lawsuits and the resulting increased liability insurance costs to health care professionals account for 8% of cost increases. 92% are due to other reasons (I dunno what).

But - back on thread - one wonders how the Cast will invest their 20-cent raises. It amounts to... good grief... a full $6.40 (before taxes) per 32-hour week. $300 per year... or $30,000 per century, if you prefer.

Well, it's enough each week to buy a tube of toothpaste, to brighten their smiles.

It is a 3% raise, which is pretty much average for unskilled labor.

 

[speck76]

I will correct myself


The starting minimum wage of $6.70 an hour would have increased by 10 cents an hour for each year of the contract. Other workers in between the minimum and top scale wages would have received a 4 percent annual increase.

$6.70 is a decent starting wage in Orlando for unskilled positions.....and to be given a 4% raise each year, also above the Orlando average.

 

[cm1988]

I will correct myself


The starting minimum wage of $6.70 an hour would have increased by 10 cents an hour for each year of the contract. Other workers in between the minimum and top scale wages would have received a 4 percent annual increase.

$6.70 is a decent starting wage in Orlando for unskilled positions.....and to be given a 4% raise each year, also above the Orlando average.

All well and good, provided a person doesn't have to live on such wages... much less raise a family.

$6.70 x 32 = $214.40 per week before taxes
Put them in a nominal 15% bracket, that leaves $182.24

Rent - cheapest 1 br decent (not fancy) apt - $550/mo or $128 per week.

So that leaves the "unskilled labor" $53.90 per week to do the following:

• Car payment
• Gasoline ($30+ to fill up)
• Food!
• Electricity (except during hurricanes) nice to have for cooking, air conditioning
• Medical co-pays
• Toothpaste (whiten that smile)

Surely there is some degree of skill in living on such a budget.

 

[boo52]

But the problem is some of the positions negotiated in the contract are not unskilled labor. IE: Bus Drivers, Technicians, Costumers.

 

[Coasterbp]

I will correct myself


The starting minimum wage of $6.70 an hour would have increased by 10 cents an hour for each year of the contract. Other workers in between the minimum and top scale wages would have received a 4 percent annual increase.

$6.70 is a decent starting wage in Orlando for unskilled positions.....and to be given a 4% raise each year, also above the Orlando average.

Yes, but for those that have been topped out already, that's the first raise they have seen in 3 years. 4% in three years is crap. CRAP.

 

[Number_6]

The real kicker with this for me is that I just got hired to work at Disney's Boardwalk Resort, so in a couple of months I might suddenly find myself involved in my first ever strike...

 

[speck76]

But the problem is some of the positions negotiated in the contract are not unskilled labor. IE: Bus Drivers, Technicians, Costumers.

Se, that is a major problem. Why should those who clean toilets and empty trash cans be held under the same contract as those who are working in a skilled position? Sure, every position is important, but if a toilet is not cleaned, nobody dies.

 

[Stitchfan712]

I'll be in WDW in 10 days.


I'm curious....as a guest, is this really going to disrupt our WDW vacation much? Should we expect some rude cm's or what?

I know this question treads on thin ice but I ask with nothing but the best of intentions. I'd hate for the "magic" to be ruined because of Disney management.

 

[Main Street USA]

I'll be in WDW in 10 days.


I'm curious....as a guest, is this really going to disrupt our WDW vacation much? Should we expect some rude cm's or what?

I know this question treads on thin ice but I ask with nothing but the best of intentions. I'd hate for the "magic" to be ruined because of Disney management.

This has absolutely nothing to do with your vacation in 10 days. Forget about it, put it out of your mind, because it basically isn't there.

 

[Main Street USA]

Yes, but for those that have been topped out already, that's the first raise they have seen in 3 years. 4% in three years is crap. CRAP.

That may be, but the past has nothing to do with what the new contract should stipulate. If that were the case, you'd only be happy with a 9% raise at minimum, and that's "crap" in the opposite sense.

The fact remains that everyone who currently works at WDW agreed to their wages when hired, and if union, to the contract that was in place at the time with no guarantees in the future. Everyone had every opportunity when offered the position to say "That's not good enough," and look for work elsewhere.

 

[mkt]

Rob's views on unions are well known...

but I will reiterate them.

Rob was once a Teamster. And then Rob got a in twinge of trouble and the Teamsters refused to fight for Rob. Rob is not anti-union, respecting everyone elses right to be a union member, but not pro-union, making his choice in Florida, being a right to work state.

So let the WDW CM's go on strike. While they will get no sympathy from me, and while I will cross picket lines (should there be any) to get into the parks, I'll give them bottles of water and copies of the socialist songbook.

 

[xfkirsten]

The overtime aregument is pretty sad, I must say. As others have mentioned, most companies HATE to give overtime, and I don't see why they should expect it. Here at SeaWorld, overtime is a bad word. They go WAY out of their way to avoid it. I think I got a half hour of overtime once, and that was only because we got stuck on a military base during a special event and got back late. As for hiring more part-time... so? That's business. In my department, there are NO full-time hourly performers. We are all part-time. The only FTers are in management. I don't see it as unreasonable at all for Disney to cut back on the number of Full-Time CMs or overtime hours. It's just business sense.

 

[Craig & Lisa]

first and formost, I personnaly am not too thrilled by unions, I've had some not too great times with them. My one question about the vote is if Disney offered the contract to the 6 unions, alittle over 6000 votes were cast total, that's not 40 % of 55,000, why didn't more votes get cast?

 

[SpaceRacer2003]

first and formost, I personnaly am not too thrilled by unions, I've had some not too great times with them. My one question about the vote is if Disney offered the contract to the 6 unions, alittle over 6000 votes were cast total, that's not 40 % of 55,000, why didn't more votes get cast?

The 6 unions represent the 40% of 55,000, but not all are members of the union. Only union members are eligible to vote.

 

[barnum42]

Sure, every position is important, but if a toilet is not cleaned, nobody dies.

Depends on how long the effluent is left to build up - there are some pretty fatal fecal fungi around

(Just a little pedantic bite to lighten the mood) :wave: