Disney On Strike???

[nitsirk987]

So, i was sitting at my desk today at work while.. a fellow disney-holic e-mailed me and and told me that one of her friends, yet another proud disney holic, said that she read on this board that
Disney is planning to strike on Oct 22nd??!??!!???!!! Anyone else hear this?? we are down that at that time, and now i am in a panic!!!!


thanks for any info!!

 

[SamanthaL]

Oh no! We are starting our trip on the 24th!!! I sure hope not, for their sake and mine!!

 

[SyracuseWolvrine]

Disney is in contract negotiations with it's employees right now. At least one proposal has been voted on.

I'm not in any of the unions, I do not know anything else, and the people that do know won't provide that sort of information in this forum.

 

[WDSearcher]

The current contract has been extended to October 22, and negotiations continue with the unions. There are currently no plans to strike on October 22 -- that was likely the date your co-worker grabbed because it's when the current contract extension expires. If negotiations are going well, there's no reason to think that the contract won't be further extended to accommodate the talks. Any contract signed will be retroactive to the original contract ending date anyway, so the union gains nothing by striking if the talks are going well.

I wouldn't worry about it just yet.

 

[doombuggy]

I have heard nothing about a strike taking place in October. While I am p/t, and not surrently in the union, so I can give you no other info. I wouldn't worry about your trip though; relax and enjoy your self! Check out the food & wine!!!

 

[robinb]

I also heard "third hand" about the possiblity of a strike. A friend's brother is a long-time Cast Member who is in one of the unions. The friend told me that his brother told him that a strike may happen soon. I didn't want to say anything here about it before because of the third hand nature of the information.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) I doubt a strike.
2) It would be disasterous for the union.

 

[funhouse8]

I just read somewhere that the union was handing out flyers at the opening of the Disney Store in New York City staing how little the CM made and how they deserve a pay increase.

 

[mickeymouse4953]

Here is the latest on the negotiations.........from todays Orlando paper(10-12)

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/busi...2,1,3496596.story?coll=orl-business-headlines

Disney World union workers protest stalled contract negotiations

2 sides resume talks today in an effort to reach agreement over medical benefits and overtime pay.

By Sean Mussenden | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted October 12, 2004

Hundreds of unionized Walt Disney World workers gathered Monday night to protest stalled contract negotiations with the company.

"We're here to embarrass the company," said Joe Condo, president of the Service Trades Council.

The group represents Disney's largest collection of unionized workers, from six local unions in a wide range of jobs.

Condo told a hotel ballroom packed with 200 to 300 attractions workers, costume characters and others, that Disney's first two contract offers have been "embarrassing." The union had a rally followed by a short candle-lit march from the Radisson Resort Worldgate in Kissimmee along U.S. Highway 192.

Disney officials could not be reached for comment.

The two sides have been negotiating for seven months and are at odds over issues such as overtime pay and medical benefits. Negotiators are expected to return to the table today.

Earlier this month, members of the council turned down the company's latest offer by a 3,659-96 vote.

Union leaders had predicted failure despite Disney's offer of a 4 percent pay raise and a bonus of at least $400 each year of the three-year contract. A major sticking point in the proposal was the amount employees would pay toward health coverage.

In August, workers rejected the company's initial contract 4,122-15.

Sean Mussenden can be reached at smussenden@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5664.

 

[WDSearcher]

Originally posted by mickeymouse4953
"We're here to embarrass the company," said Joe Condo, president of the Service Trades Council.

Always a great negotiating tactic.

 

[SamanthaL]

UG! What does all this mean!?

 

[WDSearcher]

It means absolutely nothing right now. The union and Disney are hammering out a new contract, as they do periodically. First offers are never accepted, and so negotiations go on.

No effect on the parks, resorts, etc.

 

[Pixie Dust II]

Well, there goes higher prices!! Gate prices went up last spring, food prices went up the beginning of this month and if they are in the middle of talks with unions, prices will go up again!

 

[ztbz]

Well, there goes higher prices!! Gate prices went up last spring, food prices went up the beginning of this month and if they are in the middle of talks with unions, prices will go up again!

While the Disney Food and Admission prices have been going up in the last two years, the wages have been frozen (for front-line Cast with more than six years service) with a wage freeze for the last two years and Disney wants the wage freeze to continue for another two years and Increase the Health Care Costs to the same level that the Higher-paid Managers have to pay for their coverage.

Seems to me the only Employee that got a pay rasie every year is Michael Ei$ner and his board cronies, also much of the Disney Management received a large pay raise this year, so it only seems right that the front-line Cast get a pay raise this year too. And keep in mind that Front-Line Cast do not get at Cost of Living raise every year either.

Also it’s not likely that a Strike will happen before Thanksgiving or the Christmas Holiday periods, so look for negotiations to go SLOW for the next few weeks.

Z

 

[swilphil]

Here's a thread with specifics about the contract negotiations:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=664240

 

[Pixie Dust II]

Originally posted by ztbz
While the Disney Food and Admission prices have been going up in the last two years, the wages have been frozen (for front-line Cast with more than six years service) with a wage freeze for the last two years and Disney wants the wage freeze to continue for another two years and Increase the Health Care Costs to the same level that the Higher-paid Managers have to pay for their coverage.

Seems to me the only Employee that got a pay rasie every year is Michael Ei$ner and his board cronies, also much of the Disney Management received a large pay raise this year, so it only seems right that the front-line Cast get a pay raise this year too. And keep in mind that Front-Line Cast do not get at Cost of Living raise every year either.

Also it’s not likely that a Strike will happen before Thanksgiving or the Christmas Holiday periods, so look for negotiations to go SLOW for the next few weeks.

Z

 

[Pixie Dust II]

The cast members do indeed deserve a pay raise and I am sure they are like the rest of the world where the top gets all the money and the workers take all the pay cuts. What a shame it is when Michael Eosner does not get his big millions of dollars in bonuses at the end of the year that we little people pay for. I am all for the cast members getting a pay raise and getting good medical benefits, it is the higher ups that will pass on the cost to the consumers never taking any cuts.

 

[KristiKelly]

We were @ WDW Oct. 9-16, DH told me he heard that a meeting was held & Cm may go on strike. If that means cost for us increase, so be it. I would say that over 1/2 of the employees we came in contact with or just passed by while CM's were talking, they were all complaining, no one seemed truly happy, we even had one Cm complaining to us, telling us how bad the pay was. This has never happened on any of our trips, there was alot of "magic" missing this trip. Don't get me wrong, we had a great time, but for the first time, we experienced less than friendly CM's, some even rude.

 

[wilki32]

Nooooooooooo, it sounds like Paris!!!!

 

[momof2inPA]

I say Disney should pay whatever it will take to hire good, friendly, committed CM's. So, charge me an extra five or ten bucks, it will be worth it.