Inside the berm of The Most Magical Place on Earth, a battle is brewing. Not the traditional good vs evil, although those labels might apply. Rather, there is a battle over wages. On the one side, you have Disney World – the largest theme park operation on the planet. On the other side, you have the Cast Members who actually make the place run. Without the Cast Members, Disney World is little more than a set of facades. Perhaps the most elaborate facade currently constructed by The Walt Disney Company is the smiles on Cast Members’ faces. Sure, just about every Cast Member loves working for Disney (or did), but that love of the company isn’t paying the bills of many of its employees.
The minimum wage at Walt Disney World is $15. That mark was reached in October 2021 as the last wage bump at the end of a multi-year contract with the Service Trades Council Union – a collective of 6 different unions that represent more than 45,000 Walt Disney World Cast Members. In October 2022, the contract expired and it was time for Disney World to determine the worth of the Cast Members who make the magic that millions of tourists per year pay top dollar to experience. Negotiations began in August 2022, but a temporary extension of the contract was needed after the STCU and Disney World could not agree on all of the points of discussion. Not a huge problem, but the clock was ticking on finding a solution to ensure tens of thousands of Cast Members were under an agreeable contract.
The STCU and Disney World representatives would meet at a cadence of roughly once per month, ironing out many details, but never tackling the biggest issue – a living wage. The STCU made it clear that they were seeking a $3 wage increase from $15/hr to $18/hr. Disney World offered a $1 increase to a starting wage of $16/hr and promised $1 increases every year for the next 5 years until they reached $20/hr in 2027. In January, Disney World made a formal contract proposal with the $1/hr raise and a record 13,650 Cast Members voted “no” on the proposal. That figure represents 96% of all Cast Members who voted on the new contract and sent a resounding message to Disney World…or so it seemed. As Disney World and the STCU prepared to head back to the negotiating table this week, a new character in the story emerged – Universal Orlando Resort.
Disney’s largest competitor in Central Florida has been making some interesting moves over the past few years. From betting on the future of theme parks when Disney was balking, to somehow dodging criticism over their silence on the “Don’t Say Gay” law, Universal has largely come out of the turmoil of the past few years unscathed. Earlier this week, and just a day before Disney World would have to return to the negotiating table, Universal made another savvy move. They announced that they would be increasing their minimum pay to $17. Universal is not beholden to unions, so the decision was seemingly devoid of external pressure. That said, it seemed to be as calculated from a business standpoint as a public relations standpoint. With the announcement from Universal Orlando taking root, it was time for Disney World to head back to the negotiating table.
While Disney World has largely stayed silent about the details of the contract proposal, a new statement from Local 737, a member union of the STCU, outlines the latest proposal from Disney World that shunk retroactive pay and “refused to add even one cent to its wage proposal“. Here’s the latest statement from Local 737:
On February 15, Disney made a new contract proposal. The Union made it clear to Disney that their proposal is unacceptable.
For Cooks, Dishwashers and Housekeepers who will get an initial raise of over $1, Disney proposed to reduce the retroactive pay to only $1.
For example, under Disney’s new proposal, a Housekeeper who will get an initial raise from $17 to $20 would not get retroactive pay calculated on the full $3 raise. Instead, Disney proposed that retroactive pay will be calculated on only $1.
The Union will never accept Disney’s proposed reduction of retroactive pay. We will fight until the Company proposes the full retroactive pay owed to all Cast Members.
In addition, Disney failed to agree to the Union’s proposed minimum of $18 in 2023. Disney did propose a $1 raise on the date the Union’s members vote to accept this proposal. That would mean a minimum of $17 in 2023 for current Cast Members.
QSR, Seaters, Convention Guides and Food Handlers would all get only $1 per year under Disney’s new proposal: $16 retroactive to Oct. 2022 and only $17 when the Union’s members vote to accept. The Union does not agree to this proposal.
Both the Union and the Company continue to propose the large raises for Culinary, Stewarding and Housekeeping that we presented during the vote earlier this month. For example:
– Housekeeping: Increase from $17 to $20
– Stewarding: Increase from $15 to $18
– Cook 2: $16.40 to $20
– Cook 1: $19 to $23.10
– Chef Assistant: $20 to $24.60
13,650 Union members voted “NO” to Disney’s proposal and “NO” to poverty. Disney’s new proposal still leaves Cast Members struggling to pay for rent, gas and groceries. We will fight until we win an $18 minimum in 2023 and full retroactive pay. Keep following this page for information about the next public Union actions!
The STCU has not announced further action, but we will continue to cover the wage negotiations as the battle between Disney World and its Cast Members continues.
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!