Walt Disney World guests may have seen a first today, as a number of workers at EPCOT and Disney Springs openly wore union buttons on their costumes in a fight for better working conditions.
Like many workers Disney guests may encounter, a number workers at the Italy pavilion at EPCOT and at various Disney Springs locations work for a third party, and are not entitled to the same status as Disney Cast Members. In this case, the workers are employed by Patina Restaurant Group, which is part of Delaware North, a company that does approximately $3.2 billion in annual revenue and employs around 55,000 people.
A release from Unite Here Local 737 reads:
In an unprecedented moment in Walt Disney World’s 53-year history, workers at Disney Springs restaurants and the Italy Pavilion at EPCOT have begun wearing union buttons onstage while interacting with guests. For the first time ever, union solidarity is being displayed openly in front of park goers and visitors, marking a bold step by workers seeking fair treatment.
Workers are wearing these buttons to highlight a critical issue. While guests assume all Disney Springs and EPCOT Italy Pavilion employees work directly for Disney, the workers wearing these buttons actually work for subcontracted restaurants operated by the Patina branch of Delaware North that do not provide the same wages, benefits, and protections as Disney employees. Workers at the Italy Pavilion have a union contract but are preparing for negotiations to bring them up to Disney standards, while workers at Disney Springs do not have a union and many lack access to essential benefits like affordable health insurance, paid vacation, and paid sick days.
Kristen Mercer, a Disney Springs server at Maria and Enzo’s, said: “Living in Orlando we know that Disney is where you want to go and build a career. But working at Disney Springs is not the same experience. We provide that guest experience just as much as any other Cast Members. It’s time for Patina to step up and offer us the same dignity and respect that Disney Cast Members receive.”
The restaurants where workers are taking this stand include Tutto Italia Ristorante, Maria and Enzo’s, Enzo’s Hideaway, Pizza Ponte, Morimoto Asia, and The Edison.
”When guests visit restaurants at Disney Springs and the Italy Pavilion at EPCOT, they expect the same Disney Magic and the same Disney experience,” said Joli Lindsay, a server at The Edison at Disney Springs. “ But many don’t realize these workers aren’t Disney employees, they don’t have the same benefits, and there is no magic for the cast members”.
Marco Torrente, a server at Tutto Italia Ristorante at the Italy Pavilion, explained why he is wearing the button: “I am wearing this union button because workers at the Italy Pavilion are tired of feeling like second-class Cast Members. We’ve got Disney employees at the Germany Pavilion on one side of us and at the American Pavilion on the other – we want to be treated like Disney employees.”
Unite Here Local 737 is calling on Patina and Delaware North to provide fair wages, benefits, and protections in the upcoming contract at EPCOT Italy Pavilion, and to agree to a fair process for workers to unionize at Disney Springs.
The union also recently took action at the Ramen Rumble to support a dismissed worker.
Patina also owns a number of other restaurants at Disney locations not mentioned in the release, like Space 220 and Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria at Walt Disney World Resort. They also own and operate five locations at Downtown Disney District at the Disneyland Resort.
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