Unions to Vote on Contract

[Sarangel]

From the Orlando Sentinel:

Thousands of Disney union workers will vote today on a three-year contract that would boost the starting and top-end wages to $6.70 and $11.12 an hour.

Leaders of the Service Trades Council — the umbrella group for six unions and nearly 25,000 workers — hope members will sign off on the agreement, which follows more than two months of negotiations.

The vote comes three weeks after workers soundly rejected the company's initial offer, which was panned by union negotiators and criticized for not offering enough for veteran workers.

An extra week of talks aided by a federal mediator produced an offer that has the approval of union leaders, who are optimistic that workers will like the deal.

“They feel we have gotten all there is to get,” said Margie Engels, president of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Local 737. “Stranger things have happened, but we are anticipating a strong turnout and that it will be overwhelmingly accepted.”

The last time the union leaders recommended passage of a contract was in 1998. Workers rebuffed that advice twice before finally accepting the offer after Disney threatened to impose higher health-care premiums without wage increases.

Still, the contract is sure to draw its share of “no” votes, with some workers saying it does not go far enough in the area of wages. Tipped employees, for example, have asked why their annual bonuses, up to $600, are less than those for other workers, who would get as much as $1,500.

The contract also creates a lower pay scale for new workers.

For example, a worker who started in 1995 would make $8.68 an hour after three years and $10.54 after five years. A worker starting under the new contract would make $7.77 after three years and $8.57 after five years.

Disney agreed on improvements in many areas where money was much less a factor, including bereavement leave and adding a new holiday.

Sarangel