Strike At Disney World?

[reedycreek]

is anyone following the labor negotiations that are going on at WDW with the service workers union(22,000 CM's)? the contract is set to expire 10/22 and the union said it had not ruled out a strike...apparently they are not getting what they want?????????????????

 

[SyracuseWolvrine]

All I'm going to say is that yes, there are negotiations going on right now, and yes, there has been one contract presented and voted on.

 

[LibertyBelle]

The new contract has actually been voted down TWICE by the Union so we are working on proposal # 3 from Disney. As Eric said we can't really comment on the situation but to say it is "Sad" is an understatement.

 

[reedycreek]

do you think there will be a strike?

 

[HumphreytheBear]

Hopefully not. Back in 1998 WDW and the Union were in the same prediciment but it ended peacefully. They were on the verge of strike but never did. Hopefully it will play out the same. There is a clause that says that the workers can not strike under the current contract but... if the contract fully expires nothing is sacred (the contract keeps being extended rather than expiring). I am not defending Disney as I also feel that the offer is "Sad" but wanted everyone to Remeber that Florida is a right to work state and thus you are not required to be a part of the Union. While WDW has A lot of CM's that are a part of the Union it is not anything like California (which requires you to be in the Union) where a strike would be devestating.

 

[SyracuseWolvrine]

Also worth mentioning is that none of the CMs who are on the College Program are part of any of the unions at WDW.

 

[reedycreek]

here is where i found the information on this strike if anyone is concerned. the paragraph about mosquitos was interesting too:

http://www.mouseplanet.com/parkupdates/wdw/wdw041004.htm

 

[Tink561]

Originally posted by reedycreek
here is where i found the information on this strike if anyone is concerned. the paragraph about mosquitos was interesting too:


The mosquitos here in southeast Florida are awful! If there are half as many mosquitos there, you DEFINITELY need the deet spray!

 

[Bracho]

I have no idea what the differences are between the 2 groups but how is the contract different from the current one? What are the sticking points?

Living in Las Vegas, I have seen alot of union problems with the strip resorts and strikes...

 

[LibertyBelle]

http://www.wftv.com/news/3785669/detail.html

I will just leave you with this link to the article from our local news station. There was a Union protest at the grand opening of the World of Disney in New York. The article is on that but does mention some of the issues at hand.

 

[WDSearcher]

Originally posted by Bracho
I have no idea what the differences are between the 2 groups but how is the contract different from the current one? What are the sticking points?

As with all union contracts everywhere, the sticking points are payrates and health benefits.

 

[Chuck S]

Has WDW ever had a strike before? I know that Disneyland has had some. In CA (a union state vs. FL right to work), supervisory personnel covered and filled in where ever possible, yes you may notice a few less CMs, but all in all, the overall impact to guests was not a "vacation breaker"

 

[KNWVIKING]

***"you may notice a few less CMs, but all in all, the overall impact to guests was not a "vacation breaker"***

It may not be a vacation breaker for those that choose to go, but I wonder how many trips will be canceled by other union members as a show of support for the strikers ?

 

[WDSearcher]

There doesn't seem to be that much impact from "union guests", really. Probably because so much of any vacation these days -- airfare, hotel, rental cars -- tend to be pre-paid. And it's not like the airlines are going to let you switch flights without penalty because you're standing in solidarity with the unions.

There have been a couple of smaller strikes at WDW -- the musician's union struck once back in the days when it was all live music in the park. I think that strike, and its effect on the live shows in the parks, was one of the things that helped lead to recorded music for most shows. Cost benefit plus no chance of a striking CD player, you know? I think there was also a resort strike -- resort workers such as housekeeping and wait staff -- once upon a time. Several strikes have been threatened, as I recall, but not a lot actually go forward. It's harder to strike in a right-to-work state.