According to a media advisory, a group of labor unions said the Walt Disney World workers they represent should vote against contract proposals from entertainment companies.
Six unions that are members of the Service Trades Council Union (STCU) and represent Disney World’s 45,000 employees have voted against Disney’s contract proposals to keep fighting for the pay increases workers need. We encourage our members to vote.” according to A media advisory published by Union Unite Here on Friday. Voting will take place next week.
In its recommendation, the union said Disney “is proposing a $1 annual price increase for most workers,” adding that it “sufficient to pay for the cost of living crisis facing workers in Central Florida.” Not.” The union said it would hold a press conference on the matter late Friday afternoon.
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Paul Cox, president of IATSE Local 631, told Fox Business, “Simply put, we are asking for a pay increase that takes into account the inflationary pressures Walt Disney World employees have faced over the past year.
He argued that Disney’s contract offer of $1 in the first year “doesn’t meet it.”
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Inflation, as measured by the consumer price index, fell 0.1% month-on-month in December but rose 6.5% year-on-year. As FOX Business previously reported, food and shelter costs increased both monthly and yearly, respectively.
Cox conceded that some workers would make $1 or more in the first year, but said “many workers represented by Disney’s contract offer are not.”
“Recognizing the reality facing American workers, not just some, all workers deserve a raise,” he said.
“This very strong offer provides our Cast Members with an average salary increase of close to 10% immediately, with a guaranteed increase over the next four years. They are promised starting salaries of $33, with the majority receiving $33, up from 10% to 46% during that time,” Disney spokeswoman Andrea Finger told Fox Business.
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Under the proposed deal, a non-tipped full-time cast member’s wage would be at least $5 higher each year than the Florida minimum wage, Disney said. It is expected to gradually rise to $15 by 2026.
The entertainment giant also said that in the first year of the deal, nearly a third of STCU cast members’ hourly wages would rise by 16%. A third will reach $20 an hour.
Salaries for some jobs, such as housekeepers and bus drivers, will be at least $20 an hour when the deal goes into effect, Disney said, with salaries for cooking cast members starting in the $20 to $25 range.
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The contract proposal includes, among other things, the same annuities that exist today, with the addition of another 401(k) option, according to the company.
As of early October, the company had about 220,000 employees, about 78% of whom were full-time, according to Disney’s annual report filed at the end of November. About 166,000 of its total workforce were in the United States, it said at the time.