UNITE HERE! Local 362 will make an important Disney Cast Member union announcement today at 5:00 p.m. on Facebook Live as well as at Wyndham Orlando Resort & Conference Center.
Walt Disney World Cast Members have been fighting for better pay for the past several months, culminating in the Service Trades Council Union leading “Rally for a Raise” last week.
The SCTU represents more than 45,000 Cast Members working across Walt Disney World. Service Trades Council Union leaders canceled further negotiations with Walt Disney World following their refusal to add “even one cent” to their previous wage proposal and their removal of proposed retroactive pay for many Cast Members. After a brief stalemate, union leaders planned “Rally for a Raise,” seeking public support for a fair contract.
Negotiations over the contract, which expired in October but has remained in force during negotiation, focused primarily on wages, healthcare, and retirement. The negotiations began with Disney offering a pay rise of $1 to $16/hour as their “best offer” to Cast Members with plans to raise wages a further $1 per year annually until reaching $20. STCU is asking for $18 per hour now, and a plan to eventually raise this to $20 per hour. Last month, 96% of Cast Members voted to reject Disney’s “best and final offer.”
Earlier this month, the labor unions began to poll Cast Members to gauge the impact that low wages have had on their survival. The results of the survey will be used to quantify the difficulties these Disney employees have been facing.
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