According to a statement provided to Spectrum News, negotiations between The Walt Disney Company and their largest coalition of Walt Disney World unions will continue into their second week after the unions expressed concern over COVID-19 vaccine exemptions.
While the statement stood as a strong endorsement of the obvious benefits of the vaccine, the unions expressed concern over medical or religious exemptions.
UNITE Here 737 has taken many steps to encourage our members to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The vaccines are safe and effective in preventing serious illness and death. We hope that all hospitality workers in Central Florida will get the vaccine as soon as possible. Any workers who feel unsure about the vaccine should make that decision with their own doctor.
UNITE HERE Local 737, along with the other 5 unions of the Services Trade Council, does not have an agreement in place with Disney regarding Disney’s vaccine mandate. We continue to negotiate with Disney. We are especially concerned that unionized workers with medical or religious concerns will be accommodated fairly.
In a recent press conference, Dr. Raul Pino of the Florida Department of Health said, “the reality is that there are no religions, besides Jehovah Witness, that are technically opposed to being vaccinated”. Other research tends to paint a similar picture of major organized religion not taking a stance in opposition to vaccines.
It’s unclear what, exactly, Disney might be suggesting that the union takes issue with, but an agreement is expected this month as the 60-day timer that Disney has put on non-union employees continues to tick down. For more on the Disney mandate for their employees to be vaccinated, check out our article below.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!