A recent ruling by the National Labor Relations Board has blocked the local Teamsters chapter’s plans to unionize Walt Disney World’s Minnie Van Drivers, according to the Associated Press’ Mike Schneider.
On Monday, the panel voted to overturn a ruling by a regional director from back in May, which would’ve allowed the Teamsters to bargain for wages, hours and working conditions on behalf of the van drivers without a vote on the matter after an NLRB regional director last May ruled the union could represent them. The Teamsters already represent Walt Disney World’s bus drivers in contract negotiations, and argued that the Minnie Van drivers should be allowed to join as they perform a similar task.
The panel ruled that while Minnie Van drivers share similar working conditions, the training and certification for the jobs are very different. Bus drivers drive a fixed route and require a commercial drivers’ license, while they play prerecorded information over a speaker system and they require 14 weeks of training. On the other hand, Minnie Van drivers only require two weeks of training and do not require a commercial license. Their routes are determined by where their passengers want to go, and are encouraged to share information and stories with their passengers. The panel claimed that bus and Minnie Van drivers “may have similar working conditions and share geographic proximity,” but they “have little or no group identity.”
Tom Pilacek, an attorney for Teamsters Local 385, said the union would consider their options, including asking the NLRB to reconsider its ruling or filing an appeal in federal court. In a statement, Pilacek said, “Local 385 believes that the regional director’s decision was correct and is disappointed by the board’s reversal.” Disney has not commented on the board’s reversal.
Minnie Vans are private cars, summoned via the Lyft app, that transport guests to anywhere in the Walt Disney World Resort they wish for a fee. Minnie Van service is not included in any vacation package.
We will keep you updated as the story develops.
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Unions seek additional dues and see having more members as a lucrative opportunity.
I also wonder if the Minnie Van drivers are presently paid more than the union members.
Significantly. I’m a driver. The union told us we would get pay cuts and our seniority would be reset when (not if) they got us in the contracts. This was a big Victory for us.