TCPalm
Disney workers seek union
By Alexi Howk
staff writer
December 3, 2004
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY Employees from Disney's Vero Beach Resort gathered around a picnic table Thursday at a park area along Wabasso Causeway in an effort to organize a union they say is needed to protect them from unfair treatment.
About 10 employees and a union representative from Local 737, which represents Disney hotel and restaurant workers in Orlando, staged the six-hour event in the hopes of uniting the resort's more than 200 employees. Dozens of resort workers stopped in throughout the day on their way to and from work to hear comments from Local 737 head Margie Engels and signed cards authorizing a vote on whether workers want the union to represent them.
Some resort workers complained of an unfair scheduling system, lack of overtime and double-time pay, and being forced to perform jobs they weren't hired to do.
Engels said she is confident Local 737 would soon represent the resort's employees, which she said include workers who commute from as far as north Brevard County and on up from St. Lucie County.
Disney currently operates in Orlando under a coalition of six unions representing different factions of the company, Engels said. The National Labor Relations Board a government agency set up to conduct elections for union representation requires one-third of employees to sign authorization cards, Engel said. Once the cards get approved, the Labor Board will hold an election at the resort where employees will then cast their votes, she said.
"We currently have enough cards to bring to the board," Engels said.
Jacquee Polak, a spokesperson for Disney World, would not comment on any specific employee gripes.
"We have strong programs and policies in place that meet the needs of our cast and there's really nothing more a union can do." Polak said. "Right now we're focused on continuing to reach out to our cast and provide them with the resources they need."
Disney's Vero Beach Resort opened in 1995 and was closed for a month after hurricanes Frances and Jeanne.
