When, exactly, will the strike take place?

[Stitchfan712]

I'd like to know specifically when Union members plan to strike. There's a cast member in MGM I'm planning on meeting on the 26th and if they're on strike I won't even bother trying.



I really think this is unfair to the guests though. I understand their wanting better pay and benefits, everyone does, but it hurts the experience for those of us who can't be at WDW on a daily basis, who save up our pennies for a long time just to go down there and have a week or two of fun, before returning to the drab realities outside of WDW.


Forgive me for voicing my honest opinion, but i sincerely hope this strike does not disrupt operations of the park. And I hope that this certain cast member is working on the 26th, we're planning something special. I have no way of getting ahold of him, but I'll be very disappointed if the good CMs are all out there striking when the guests are just there having a good time, it'd be a shame to make the guests go home unhappy because of the unfairness of Disney management.

 

[Atta83]

Im not sure there really is going to be a stike, Disney will quickly replace those employees who are going on strike.

 

[Stitchfan712]

That's the thing though, there are certain people at WDW that make the experience better. Disney can replace the bodies but not the spirit.

 

[Atta83]

But if you look at it with the college program they really hire anyone. I had a few of my roomies who didnt like Disney, it was all about getting away from home which is sad.

 

[Stitchfan712]

Cps cannot replace this particular cast member.

 

[ginaforpeace]

I'd like to know specifically when Union members plan to strike. There's a cast member in MGM I'm planning on meeting on the 26th and if they're on strike I won't even bother trying.



I really think this is unfair to the guests though. I understand their wanting better pay and benefits, everyone does, but it hurts the experience for those of us who can't be at WDW on a daily basis, who save up our pennies for a long time just to go down there and have a week or two of fun, before returning to the drab realities outside of WDW.


Forgive me for voicing my honest opinion, but i sincerely hope this strike does not disrupt operations of the park. And I hope that this certain cast member is working on the 26th, we're planning something special. I have no way of getting ahold of him, but I'll be very disappointed if the good CMs are all out there striking when the guests are just there having a good time, it'd be a shame to make the guests go home unhappy because of the unfairness of Disney management.

I understand completely.. I posted a new thread "I am still going to Disney during the Strike." you should read what I had to say in regards to this. And listen to the responses that others have given me. I have been planning this trip since July, it's a surprise birthday present for my soon to be 6 year old daughter. And it's also a great place to take a break for me from my everyday hussle and bussle.

 

[Master Yoda]

I seriously doubt that there will be a strike. My wife is in a union and ever 4 or 5 years when contract time comes this same scenario happens. Company submits proposal, union rejects it, company revises proposal, union rejects it, union holds strike vote, strike vote passes, and finally in the 11<SUP>th</SUP> hour the company submits another proposal and the union accepts it. Kind of sound familiar. The union has to justify its dues to its members by fighting to the very last second to get the best deal for its members. Disney has to protect the interests of its stockholders and get the best deal it can with the union. Disney doesn’t want a pr nightmare with a strike and the union doesn’t want to pay its members strike benefits.

 

[meatloafsfan]

So people should not exercise their right to strike because you (or others) are going on vacation where they work?

Quote:
"I really think this is unfair to the guests though. I understand their wanting better pay and benefits, everyone does, but it hurts the experience for those of us who can't be at WDW on a daily basis, who save up our pennies for a long time just to go down there and have a week or two of fun, before returning to the drab realities outside of WDW."

What about the "drab realities" of the CM"s everyday lives? Are these human beings of less value than the guests?

If management had offered a fair deal, there would be no concern, but they did not which means that a labour dispute is certainly a possibility.

 

[jcraycraft]

Stitchfan712,

Right now, I don’t think the union has a date made public on a strike....which I don’t believe they will. As far as the media information available.... union is going to take another vote on Thur Nov 18th. If it goes down again then the federal mediator will step in. I have no inside information ... just what I have read on internet news site :lookaroun . I copied a news article from yesterday.




http://www.wftv.com/employment/3921498/detail.html


Disney's Union Group Votes On Contract Proposal -- Again
POSTED: 6:48 AM EST November 16, 2004


ORLANDO, Fla. -- A week after union members rejected an almost identical deal, the largest union group at Walt Disney World will vote this week on a contract proposal for the fourth time since negotiations began in May.

Leaders of the Service Trades Council Union, which covers about 40 percent of Disney World's 51,000-person work force, and Disney officials met with federal mediator Conrad Bowling on Monday and decided to take another vote Thursday.

Disney has refused to extend the current contract, which expires on Thursday, union officials said. Without a contract union members would be able to strike, since that is prohibited in the contract, and Disney would be able implement provisions it wants unilaterally.

"We have not been down this road with this company before," said Donna-Lynne Dalton, recording secretary for Teamsters Local 385, which represents costumed workers and bus drivers at Disney.

Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Polak said she wouldn't speculate on what actions the company will take if the proposal is voted down and the contract expires.

"We're hopeful that it's going to be ratified on Thursday," Polak said. "I think it's premature to speculate on what the company is going to do on a 'what-if' basis."

Union members last week voted 3,686 against and 2,827 for the contract. The vote also authorized union leaders to call a strike if necessary, but that is an unlikely prospect since only two of the six unions in the council have enough member-support for such action.

Opponents of the contract said the proposed wage increase was too small to offset the increases in what they would pay for health care insurance.

The vote divided the six-union council 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, while the four other unions recommended approval.

The council faces the same 4-2 split going into Thursday's vote.

If the contract is voted down again on Thursday, the unions and Disney will rush to have a last-ditch session with the mediator before the contract expires at midnight.

"If the contract goes down, he has less than a three-hour window Thursday night," said Ed Chambers, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 1625.

 

[Stitchfan712]

So people should not exercise their right to strike because you (or others) are going on vacation where they work?

What about the "drab realities" of the CM"s everyday lives? Are these human beings of less value than the guests?

If management had offered a fair deal, there would be no concern, but they did not which means that a labour dispute is certainly a possibility.

Now now, I didn't say that. Let's not start an argument.

The CMs have a right to strike. But if it disrupts the park, then that's unfair to the guests who are trying to have a magical experience. I'm saying this should be handled in a way that can leave the guests pretty much out of it, because its no fault of ours for the wrongs of the disney company.

Nor should Disney just hire scabs off the street who really won't care about guest interaction. The last thing I'd want is for a flood of new employees to enter the park and treat guests rudely while the GOOD cast members are all on strike. But i think disney has enough sense to be wise about who they pick to work in the parks during the strike, if it happens.


I want to know the dates of the strike, if there are any, so that I can make changes to my plans accordingly.

 

[mkt]

This is Florida, they have the individual choice of whether or not to strike. And if they wanna cross the picket lines (not too hard, picketers along I4 won't make much of a difference when cruising by at 90mph), they can. And if the union wants to fine them for going to work, they can also go down to the Union hall, and leave the Union.