Disney settles labor complaint over '05 job cuts

[crazy4wdw]

Disney settles labor complaint over '05 job cuts
Current and former custodians will get about $650 each. A union plans to hold a rally today.

Scott Powers | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted March 2, 2007

Nearly 200 current and former Walt Disney World custodians will receive payments averaging almost $650 apiece after Disney and a union settled a complaint about how the resort eliminated some jobs in 2005.

The agreement, approved Feb. 2 by the National Labor Relations Board, ends an unfair labor practices complaint that the Service Trades Council Union filed about how Disney World transferred 170 overnight-shift custodial jobs to outside contractors in late 2005.

The Disney employees involved were all offered other jobs at comparable hours and wages at the time. But the union alleged that not all of them got acceptable offers, and some custodians had to leave.

For a couple of years, the Service Trades Council has been challenging Disney World's decisions to outsource jobs, claiming the company was replacing good, full-time jobs with jobs offering inferior pay, benefits and hours, and that quality would suffer. The union intends a rally today at the State Road 535 entrance to Disney World to announce the settlement and declare it a victory for workers.

Disney World officials denied that concern, saying they have insisted that outside contractors are being held to the same hiring, training and supervision standards that Disney uses.

The settlement calls for Disney World to pay $119,307 to the National Labor Relations Board. That money will then be distributed to about 170 workers, based on their wage rates in late 2005. The settlement also calls for Disney World not to unilaterally change employees' wages, hours and working conditions, or refuse to provide information requested by the union, according to the union. By settling, the two sides avoid taking the case before a federal hearing examiner.

"A settlement in this amount of money is a good sign" that Disney was worried about its case, said Service Trades Council President Morty Miller.

A Disney World spokeswoman said the settlement was more a matter of assuring expedience.

"While we complied with both our collective-bargaining agreement and the National Labor Relations Act, we felt it was important to achieve a quick resolution for our impacted cast members and enable them to move forward in their new roles," spokeswoman Kim Prunty said.

Scott Powers can be reached at spowers@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5441.

 

[Mickmse2002]

"A settlement in this amount of money is a good sign" that Disney was worried about its case, said Service Trades Council President Morty Miller.

Nice spin but paying 119 grand for these 170 jobs to go away is a pittance for the corporation.

 

[MassJester]

"A settlement in this amount of money is a good sign" that Disney was worried about its case, said Service Trades Council President Morty Miller.

Nice spin but paying 119 grand for these 170 jobs to go away is a pittance for the corporation.

In the "business" we call that a "drop check." The Mouse won that round.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . The Mouse won that round . . .

1) Sure enough.
2) This frees the way for more and more outsourcing.
3) Just shows the ineffectiveness of the local unions.
4) Too bad for the workers who remain.
5) Look for more of them to get transferred (like the valets at GF).