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Disney workers to rally today
Union officials are concerned about the number of jobs being outsourced at Disney.
Scott Powers | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted December 8, 2006
In the past year, Walt Disney World has outsourced nearly 600 jobs to private contractors, and unions that represent nearly half of Disney's workers complain the cuts are unfair and are hurting morale.
The job cuts of the past year affect about 1 percent of Disney's work force. Disney insists that no one has been laid off and that affected workers are offered other jobs at comparable wages, hours and benefits.
Yet union officials and several workers who consented to recent interviews say the new job offers can be poor substitutes.
The Service Trades Council Union, a coalition of six labor organizations at Disney World, plans to rally at noon today outside the Disney Crossroads gate. The union will protest Disney's decisions to give custodial, valet, bellhop, baggage handler, rigger and video tech jobs to private contractors.
"Some people feel they're next. People are nervous over the whole situation. I've never seen people this upset over something in my 19 years here," said Tom Pierce, 58, of Dr. Phillips, a custodial worker who comes on at 5 a.m.
Disney officials say the moves, which began in late 2005, have been relatively small and don't necessarily signal any trends. Spokeswoman Jacquee Polak said Disney World has long outsourced some jobs and will pursue any creative, smart and efficient business moves that make sense.
"We realize the impact these changes are having on current employees and we are doing everything we can to minimize those impacts," she said.
Disney World has 59,000 employees. The Service Trades Council unions represent approximately 29,000 of them and other unions represent 11,000 more. The cuts of the past year affect 583 jobs, according to a union count.
The union that represents Disney's cleaning workers, Unite HERE! Local 362, wants to know what sorts of workers are replacing them, and what sorts of pay and benefits they get. Those questions form one of the issues in an unfair labor practice charge that the union filed and Disney disputed. It will be heard Feb. 5 before the National Labor Relations Board.
"Are the employees of an outsource company required to live up to the same standards as Disney employees? Are they subjected to background checks, costuming and grooming policies, other standards that Disney requires of its employees?" asked President Morty Miller. "Disney has refused to answer and denied our information requests."
While Disney may not have issued official answers, Polak replied that its contractors are required to follow Disney standards for employees, though wages and benefits are up to the contractors.
"We are only going to work with partners that will maintain our very high standard of business service," she said. "It's the hallmark of what we do. It's the hallmark of the Disney experience. Guest service at Walt Disney World will not be compromised."
Until recently, most of the cuts involved workers whom Disney customers normally never met, on either late-night or back-office jobs.
But that is changing next month, when Disney turns over, by its count, 167 baggage, valet and bellhop jobs to Baggage Airlines Guest Service, the private company that now handles baggage transfers for Disney's Magical Express service. The Transportation and Communications Union estimates that 219 jobs will be lost.
There's no indication that outside contractors can't clean or carry bags as well as Disney employees.
One outside contractor said his workers probably clean hotels better than Disney employees, because cleaning hotels is all they do. John Knoepker, president Hotel Cleaning Services of Phoenix, said last month that his employees all are full time and receive benefits, though the pay and benefits might be lower than what Disney offered.
"When a hotel provides their own in-house third-shift cleaning, they're not specialists in what they're doing. We specialize in what we do, nothing else," Knoepker said. "We don't pull our crew away from those jobs for any customer-service-related issues. That's covered by the in-house staff from the resorts. Our crew, we staff and train and maintain and supervise to do exactly the same job every night. They don't have to do guest runs."
Yet the mix of cleaning and customer service is an important part of the job and one that Disney customers frequently expect, said former Fort Wilderness custodian Luz Martinez, 41, of Davenport, who left in November 2005 rather than switch to a day shift when her job was outsourced.
"I was a custodian, I cleaned and took care of the guests. I was a runner also," she said. "I dealt with housecleaning, getting them what they needed."
Union officials are concerned about the number of jobs being outsourced at Disney.
Scott Powers | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted December 8, 2006
In the past year, Walt Disney World has outsourced nearly 600 jobs to private contractors, and unions that represent nearly half of Disney's workers complain the cuts are unfair and are hurting morale.
The job cuts of the past year affect about 1 percent of Disney's work force. Disney insists that no one has been laid off and that affected workers are offered other jobs at comparable wages, hours and benefits.
Yet union officials and several workers who consented to recent interviews say the new job offers can be poor substitutes.
The Service Trades Council Union, a coalition of six labor organizations at Disney World, plans to rally at noon today outside the Disney Crossroads gate. The union will protest Disney's decisions to give custodial, valet, bellhop, baggage handler, rigger and video tech jobs to private contractors.
"Some people feel they're next. People are nervous over the whole situation. I've never seen people this upset over something in my 19 years here," said Tom Pierce, 58, of Dr. Phillips, a custodial worker who comes on at 5 a.m.
Disney officials say the moves, which began in late 2005, have been relatively small and don't necessarily signal any trends. Spokeswoman Jacquee Polak said Disney World has long outsourced some jobs and will pursue any creative, smart and efficient business moves that make sense.
"We realize the impact these changes are having on current employees and we are doing everything we can to minimize those impacts," she said.
Disney World has 59,000 employees. The Service Trades Council unions represent approximately 29,000 of them and other unions represent 11,000 more. The cuts of the past year affect 583 jobs, according to a union count.
The union that represents Disney's cleaning workers, Unite HERE! Local 362, wants to know what sorts of workers are replacing them, and what sorts of pay and benefits they get. Those questions form one of the issues in an unfair labor practice charge that the union filed and Disney disputed. It will be heard Feb. 5 before the National Labor Relations Board.
"Are the employees of an outsource company required to live up to the same standards as Disney employees? Are they subjected to background checks, costuming and grooming policies, other standards that Disney requires of its employees?" asked President Morty Miller. "Disney has refused to answer and denied our information requests."
While Disney may not have issued official answers, Polak replied that its contractors are required to follow Disney standards for employees, though wages and benefits are up to the contractors.
"We are only going to work with partners that will maintain our very high standard of business service," she said. "It's the hallmark of what we do. It's the hallmark of the Disney experience. Guest service at Walt Disney World will not be compromised."
Until recently, most of the cuts involved workers whom Disney customers normally never met, on either late-night or back-office jobs.
But that is changing next month, when Disney turns over, by its count, 167 baggage, valet and bellhop jobs to Baggage Airlines Guest Service, the private company that now handles baggage transfers for Disney's Magical Express service. The Transportation and Communications Union estimates that 219 jobs will be lost.
There's no indication that outside contractors can't clean or carry bags as well as Disney employees.
One outside contractor said his workers probably clean hotels better than Disney employees, because cleaning hotels is all they do. John Knoepker, president Hotel Cleaning Services of Phoenix, said last month that his employees all are full time and receive benefits, though the pay and benefits might be lower than what Disney offered.
"When a hotel provides their own in-house third-shift cleaning, they're not specialists in what they're doing. We specialize in what we do, nothing else," Knoepker said. "We don't pull our crew away from those jobs for any customer-service-related issues. That's covered by the in-house staff from the resorts. Our crew, we staff and train and maintain and supervise to do exactly the same job every night. They don't have to do guest runs."
Yet the mix of cleaning and customer service is an important part of the job and one that Disney customers frequently expect, said former Fort Wilderness custodian Luz Martinez, 41, of Davenport, who left in November 2005 rather than switch to a day shift when her job was outsourced.
"I was a custodian, I cleaned and took care of the guests. I was a runner also," she said. "I dealt with housecleaning, getting them what they needed."
but it is directly related to what I have personally seen (less Christmas lights, HUGE changes in dining, etc.).
