UNITE HERE! Local 362

Contract Vote results

2011-05-21T10:18:00.000-04:00

The CR contract has been approved by a 96% margin. The new agreement goes into affect immediately.

Please contact your Union Rep or Shop Steward for more information.

CR Contract Vote

2011-05-11T14:05:00.000-04:00

DATE: Friday, May 20, 2011
TIME: 7 AM – 7 PM
PLACE: Contemporary Resort, Convention Center, Fantasia J-Q

• ONLY UNION MEMBERS MAY VOTE.
• All six STCU affiliates will be voting at the same location.

This contract continues to provide improvements at work for CRs. Some of the contract improvements are:
- Bonus payment ranging from $50 - $275 based on hours worked from October 3, 2010 through April 3, 2011 (MUST have been a CR as of 10/3/10)

- Holiday premium pay for working on Labor Day and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday (After two (2) years of service). CRs now have 7 holidays like the FT workers.

- Improved rights on the job won in the Full Time contract and Local 362 Side Letter apply to CRs (overtime, scheduling, Attractions, Custodial and Vacation Planner policies and premiums, grievance procedure, etc.)

Complete details on the contract proposal will be presented at the ratification.

Agreement reached on CR Contract

2011-04-22T11:25:00.002-04:00

The Service Trades Council Union and Disney Management have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract covering the almost 10,000 CR Cast Members at Walt Disney World. The parties met from April 19-21, 2011, to negotiate the new agreement. In addition to the wage increases that all CR workers received on April 3, 2011 as a result of the Full-Time negotiations, additional improvements in work rules and other economics were achieved. The entire STCU Bargaining Committee is recommending a “Yes” vote on the offer. Below is a summary:

Non-economic

• Agreed to all “Clean-Up” and “Pass-Through” language as a result of the FT contract (i.e. Jury Duty service being used for computation of Overtime, right to wear Union pins backstage, Language assistance during investigations, Coordinators, etc.).

• New language in a Letter of Understanding regarding priority for scheduling CR employees before CT or other non-bargaining unit employees (excluding CPs).

• New language in a Letter of Understanding preventing forced expansion of availability for CR employees with only 2 days of availability.

• Incorporating the Trainer language into the contract.

• Protected existing language on transfers and utilization.

Economic
• Lump Sum increase

          For non-tipped CR employees who were statused as of 10/2/10 and are still employed:

           Bonus of 2% on actual hours worked from 10/2/10 through 4/2/11 with a minimum of $50 and a maximum of $275.

           $50 lump sum bonus for CR tipped employees who were statused as of 10/2/10 and are still employed.

• Holiday premium for hours worked

          Add additional holidays for CR employees with at least 2 years of continuous service, who work on the following holidays will be paid at the time and one-half (1 ½) for all hours worked:

           Martin Luther King Jr. (effective January 2012)

           Labor Day

• Protected the Pension Plan

A vote of the STCU CR membership will be held in the near future. Details will be posted in your work area and at our website once available. The STCU is recommending a “YES” vote on the offer.

CR Bargaining Update

2011-04-10T14:06:00.000-04:00

Negotiations for the Casual-Regular contract between Walt Disney World and the Service Trades Council have been scheduled for:

Tuesday, April 19
Wednesday, April 20
Thursday, April 21

Bargaining sessions are scheduled to begin each day at 10am and go until 5pm at the Textile Services building near the service entrance of the Port Orleans Resort. Check the bargaining hot line, (407) 851-0626, extension 29, for updates. All members are welcome to attend.

CR Contract Survey

2011-03-16T09:08:00.000-04:00

With the Full-Time Contract being resolved, the Union turns its attention to negotiating the CR agreement. Click on the link to be directed to the CR contract survey:

http://www.uniteherelocal362.org/CR%20Survey%202011.pdf

Turn this into your Shop Steward, Union Representative or to the Union Hall as soon as possible.

Contract Approved by STCU - Rejected by Local 362 and UFCW

2011-02-25T23:14:00.002-05:00

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/the-daily-disney/os-disney-union-vote-20110225,0,4929098.story

Disney workers vote to approve new union contract
By Jeff Weiner and Jason Garcia, Orlando Sentinel
10:15 p.m. EST, February 25, 2011

Members of Walt Disney World's largest union group today voted by a large majority to approve a new labor contract, after months of at-times cantankerous negotiations.

However, leadership of two of the six unions that make up the Services Trades Council decried the vote — a sign that, while the negotiations are over, at least some of the discontent may remain.

Harris Raynor, president of the Services Trades Council, confirmed that the vote passed 4,987-2,099, in what he called "a victory for the workers who are represented by the unions."

The vote was the second for members of the Service Trades Council, a coalition of six unions that together represent roughly 20,800 full-time Disney employees.

Unite Here! Local 362 president Eric Clinton and United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1625 president Ed Chambers also confirmed the results.

"We are pleased with the outcome of the vote today," Steve Eisenhardt, vice president of labor relations for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, said in a statement. "Both the voter turnout and the support of the new contract were tremendous."

The contract is similar to one rejected in October by 3,880-3,350 vote. It calls for $650 in combined bonuses for all full-time, non-tipped employees and, for workers not already at the top of their pay scales, annual raises of between 3 percent and 4 percent over the next three years.

The most significant difference in the new contract: Full-time, non-tipped workers earning $8.50 an hour or less would get an extra $100 bonus.

The leadership of four of the six unions that comprise the Services Trades Council have endorsed the contract offer. But two — Unite Here! Local 362 and United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1625 — have urged workers to vote against it, arguing that the raises are not equitably distributed among job classifications and they are not large enough to offset rising health-insurance premiums for employees with family coverage.

Chambers, whose union voted about 82 percent to oppose the proposal, said that he was disappointed in the results of the vote.

"Disney was able to divide and conquer the unions," Chambers said. He and Clinton, who also opposed the proposal, accused the other unions of using the possibility of a strike to intimidate workers into voting in favor of the new contract.

"People forgot from the other unions that Disney is the one we should be taking on, not each other," Clinton said.

Raynor, however, pointed to the turnout and size of the majority as evidence that the union's membership had spoken.

"We feel very strongly that this was an extremely democratic vote," Raynor said.

jeweiner@tribune.com or 407-420-5171. jrgarcia@tribune or 407-420-5414

www.NoCastMemberLeftBehind.com

2011-02-18T09:34:00.001-05:00

Just say NO!

2011-02-18T07:40:00.000-05:00

I'm going to vote NO!

2011-02-17T21:33:00.000-05:00

“When Disney makes as much money as they do – 1.3 Billion in 3 months - they can afford to pay us more. All of the cast members make that money for the Company, from our hard work. If we all stand together, we can make Disney a better place for everyone to work. Vote NO with me on February 25.”
- Travis Joyner, Animal Kingdom Attractions Coordinator

Vote NO with me!

2011-02-17T20:59:00.000-05:00

“For the last 18 years, I have made Disney a success. Why aren’t they rewarding my loyalty and dedication? One of the most important Disney values I have been taught is that we are a family. I would never abandon a family member. Please don’t abandon me, my family and co-workers. Disney shouldn’t leave anyone behind.”

- Madeline Lugo, Water Parks Custodial

I'm voting NO too!

2011-02-17T17:34:00.001-05:00

“If Bob Iger can get a 30% raise, why am I only being offered 2%? I actually do the work that makes Disney money. I am voting NO because I am worth more. Stand up with me to show Disney that WE make the magic.”
- Jim Mykins, DTD Custodial

I'm also voting NO!

2011-02-16T16:16:00.000-05:00

“I can barely afford to pay my medical bills today. If Disney is able to take even more from my check for health insurance, I don’t know what I’m going to do. With all the money that Disney makes, how can they ask us to pay so much more? I know Disney can do better than this. I am voting NO on February 25.”
- Kim Hanley, AK Custodial

I'm voting NO!

2011-02-15T17:52:00.000-05:00

“My wife and children are covered by my health insurance. We struggle to make ends meet today. I can’t imagine having to pay an extra 38 dollars a week when my wages aren’t going to go up enough to cover the health insurance costs. Stand with me and vote NO. I know Disney can do better!”
- Joseph Guiteau, POP/CBR Custodial

Joint press release from UFCW and UNITE HERE! on contract agreement

2011-02-12T15:25:00.000-05:00

DISNEY UNIONS DIVIDED OVER CONTRACT ENDORSEMENT

Lake Buena Vista, FL, February 11, 2011 – After nearly nine months of negotiations, the Service Trades Council Union (STCU) and Walt Disney World will take a revised contract offer before the membership for a vote on February 25, 2011. Disney’s first offer was rejected in October, and a Federal Mediator was brought in to assist the parties.

Although Disney steadfastly maintained that it’s first offer was “fair and competitive” and not going to improve, the Company did reinstate a $100 bonus that was an incentive to ratify on the first vote and it subsequently pulled out of the offer when it was rejected. Disney also added an extra $100 for employees making $8.50 or less to the $550 bonus already on the table. This movement represents nearly 2.5 million dollars extra on the table than before.

United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1625 (UFCW) and UNITE HERE! Local 362 voted to oppose the current offer and will urge their members to vote to reject it. Four of the six STCU Affiliate unions: Local 737; Teamsters Local 385; TCU District 1908 and IATSE Local 631 voted to recommend the contract.

Throughout negotiations, the UFCW and UNITE HERE! maintained that raises were not equally distributed. Over 30 job classifications represented not only by their unions, but the other four STCU Affiliates, will be getting the lowest wage increases of 3%. Additionally, the rise in health care premiums will not be offset by the raises and many employees will make less at the end of the contract than they do today.

“We feel that we got the Company’s attention, and it made a difference,” said Isaac Cropp, Vice-President of UNITE HERE! Local 362. The opposing unions took action after the first offer was rejected by leafleting, holding rallies, and producing the video, “MOUSETRAPPED 2010”, in which union members told their stories about struggling to survive on Disney wages. “We are disappointed that our fellow unions did not choose to stand with us and fight for a fair contract for all, as we know Disney could have done more,” said Julee Jerkovich, Secretary-Treasurer of UFCW Local 1625.

The Service Trades Council Union represents nearly 29,000 hard working cast members at the Walt Disney World Resort.

Sentinel Article

2011-02-11T21:39:00.000-05:00

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/the-daily-disney/os-disney-union-contract-20110211,0,6437620.story

Disney World, unions have 2nd tentative contract
By Jason Garcia, Orlando Sentinel
6:44 p.m. EST, February 11, 2011

Negotiators for Walt Disney World and its largest labor group stuck a deal Friday afternoon on a new proposed contract, ending a months-long stalemate, after the resort sweetened bonuses for some workers.

The revised offer will now head to a vote before the full membership of the Service Trades Council, which represents more than 20,000 full-time workers at Disney World. The vote is scheduled for Feb 25. (note: Local 362 and UFCW vote at Contemporary)

It will be the second contract vote for workers, who rejected Disney's first offer in October.
"I'm very pleased we were able, after all this time, to finally reach an agreement that allows people to have another chance to vote," Service Trades Council president Harris Raynor said.

The proposed contract is largely similar to the one workers voted down in the fall. It calls for $550 bonuses for all full-time workers and, for those not already at the top of their pay scales, annual raises of between 3 percent and 4 percent over three years.

But during meetings with a federal mediator Friday — the third such session between Disney and union leaders — the resort agreed to reinstate an extra $100 bonus it had initially agreed to pay only if workers had approved the contract on the first vote.

In addition, the resort agreed to pay another $100 to all full-time employees who make $8.50 an hour or less.

"We appreciate the assistance of federal mediator Hank Groton in helping us reach a good and fair contract for our cast members," said Steve Eisenhardt, vice president of labor relations for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. "Both sides worked hard, and we are pleased we could find common ground."

Support for the revamped deal isn't unanimous, however.

The leadership of two of the six unions that make up the Service Trades Council — Unite Here! Local 362 and United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1625 — voted Friday to oppose the latest agreement.

They argue that the raises are not equitably distributed, as workers in many job categories will get only the minimum 3 percent raises each year. They also say the size of the raises isn't enough to offset rising health-care premiums, particularly for workers on family-coverage health insurance.

"Some workers with family health insurance will be making less money at the end of the contract than they do today," said Eric Clinton, president of the Unite Here! local, which represents attractions workers, custodians and ticket sellers, among others.

jrgarcia@tribune.com or 407-420-5414

No Toy Story 3!

2011-02-09T22:17:00.000-05:00

WOW.

2011-02-09T11:23:00.000-05:00

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/the-daily-disney/os-disney-earnings-20110208,0,7426349.story

Disney profit leaps 54 percent

By Jason Garcia, Orlando Sentinel
6:43 p.m. EST, February 8, 2011

A rebound in its theme parks during the final three months of 2010 helped propel the Walt Disney Co. to 54 percent quarterly profit growth, the company announced Tuesday.

Disney said it made $1.3 billion for the three months that ended Jan. 1, the first quarter in the company's fiscal year, up from $844 million a year earlier. Companywide revenue rose 10 percent to $10.7 billion.

The results easily topped Wall Street expectations.

"It's a great start to a new fiscal year," Disney Co. President and Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger said.

Disney's theme-parks business, often viewed as a bellwether for the U.S. economy, turned in its strongest performance since being dragged down by the recession three years ago: The unit posted a 25 percent increase in operating profit — to $468 million — on sales growth of 8 percent — to $2.9 billion.

It was the first quarterly profit growth for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts in two-and-a-half years.

The improvement was driven primarily by gains in guest spending, as Disney continued to pull back the discounts it had used to sustain the business during the recession, and guests bought more souvenirs and food. Combined guest-spending at Walt Disney World and Disneyland climbed 8 percent for the quarter.

But attendance also perked up, by 2 percent, between the two coasts, despite disruptive weather during the quarter that included heavy rains in Southern California and a post-Christmas blizzard that grounded air travel across the Northeast.

Although it did not provide specific figures, Disney said Disney World attendance was up "more than 2 percent" during the quarter while Disneyland, in Anaheim, Calif., was "slightly down" from last year. Disney suggested its Orlando theme parks are benefitting from the huge crowds being drawn to the region by Universal Orlando's popular Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

"They built a great property down there," Iger said during a conference call with analysts. "And I believe when a competitor puts a good property in the marketplace, it brings more people to the market. So I think it stimulates attendance to Orlando, and we all know that's good for us. Because we usually get a good piece of all visitation to Orlando."

Combined occupancy in Disney's domestic hotels — roughly 90 percent of which are in Orlando — rose four percentage points during the quarter to 85 percent. Average room-related spending climbed 4 percent, a further reflection of the reduced discounting.

Attendance, spending and occupancy also rose at Disney's international resorts.

The increases were partially offset by a decline at Disney Cruise Line, where expenses rose leading up to the January launch of the 4,000-passenger Disney Dream cruise ship and scheduled dry-dock maintenance for one of the company's two existing vessels.

Disney, which is the midst of protracted negotiations with a union representing 20,000 full-time workers at Disney World, also said that the parks division's labor, pension and health-care costs rose during the quarter.

Disney said its financial gains have continued into this year: Room reservations at its U.S. hotels are currently running 3 percent ahead of the pace set last year at this time.

Still, Iger said consumers haven't completely reverted to pre-recession habits. He noted that travelers have not yet, for instance, begun booking their trips further ahead of their travel dates.

"You still have an environment that, while less challenging certainly than it was a year ago, still has its challenges," Iger said, though he added that Disney's parks business is better positioned than in previous downturns for a recovery because it now has more cheaply priced — or "value" category — hotel rooms.

"We're more accessible and we're more accessibly priced than we were" following the 2001 recession, he said.

Company executives also said repeatedly that they are thrilled with early results for the Dream, the first of two new cruise ships Disney is building at a cost of more than $1.8 billion. The Disney ship, which launched last month from Port Canaveral and can carry nearly 50 percent more passengers than Disney's first two cruise ships, is already 89 percent booked for the year.

"We believe that the fact that the Dream is so booked, particularly during peak periods, has actually driven people whose interest was sparked in part by the addition of the new ship to our other ships and our other itineraries," Iger said. Analysts have said one of the biggest risks facing Disney's cruise-fleet expansion is that the new ships could cannibalize bookings on the first two vessels.

The Dream is "just blowing the doors off in terms of demand and interest," added Disney Co. Chief Financial Officer Jay Rasulo.

Disney's best-performing business during the quarter was its film studio, where operating profit jumped 54 percent to $375 million thanks to cost-cutting, international DVD sales of the hit movie "Toy Story 3," and fewer poorly performing films.

At Disney's media networks, the company's largest business, operating profit leapt 47 percent to just under $1.1 billion. Disney credited increased ad and affiliate sales at both the cable channels ESPN and Disney Channel.

Operating profit at Disney's consumer-product segment rose 28 percent to $312 million, thanks primarily to sales of Toy Story and Marvel merchandise and improvements at Disney Store North America.

The operating loss at Disney's smallest division, interactive media, widened from $10 million last year to $13 million, as what Disney described as strong sales of the console games Epic Mickey and Toy Story 3 were more than offset by the inclusion of Playdom, the recently acquired social-media games developer. Disney recently laid off nearly 200 employees in its video-game unit.

Jason Garcia can be reached at jrgarcia@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5414.

Takin' it to the streets!

2011-02-05T15:52:00.000-05:00

Rally for a fair contract!

Wednesday, February 9
5pm to 7pm
Cross Roads
At the intersection of SR 535 & Hotel Plaza Blvd.

Our rally will draw attention to our current struggle with Disney for a fair contract just before negotiations are set to resume. It’s time for Disney to offer a fair agreement for every Cast Member.

Toy Story 3 is currently nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards. We will tell the public that the workers need to be rewarded and not Disney’s hypocrisy. Toy Story 3 encourages us to value what we have, but Disney doesn’t follow its own advice. Disney is devaluing the workers who make its business so successful.

Talk about hypocrisy...

2011-02-02T13:56:00.000-05:00

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gCgkig2zgwuqn7bY4ysSpHeoD_xg?docId=01322d27dd334a1ea8011879c42d2c20

AP: Disney CEO Iger's pay up 30 pct in 2010

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Walt Disney Co. has awarded CEO Bob Iger a 2010 pay package valued at $28 million, up 30 percent from a year ago, according to an Associated Press analysis of data disclosed in a regulatory filing on Friday. The company said it is rewarding the 59-year-old Iger for excellent management in a tough economic environment.

The increase came as Disney's share price rose 24 percent to end the company's fiscal year on Oct. 2 at $32.98. Disney noted that the total shareholder return for the S&P 500 over the same period was just 14 percent by comparison.

During the year, Iger hired new managers for Disney's money-losing movie studio, quickly bringing it back to profitability. The studio completed the sale of the Miramax niche film label as Disney renewed its focus on its family fare from its own studio as well as Pixar and new acquisition Marvel. The Burbank, Calif.-based company also bought social game maker Playdom and mobile game developer Tapulous with an aim to reverse losses at its interactive unit, which recently went through a round of layoffs.

Fiscal 2010 net income rose 20 percent to $3.96 billion from $3.31 billion the year before, as revenue grew 5 percent to $38.06 billion.

Iger's base salary fell less than 2 percent to $2 million but his performance-related bonus surged 45 percent to nearly $13.5 million from $9.3 million a year ago. He was also granted stock options and awards valued at $11.8 million on the days they were granted, up from stock grants valued at $9.5 million the previous year.

His other compensation rose nearly 8 percent to $798,433, including personal use of company aircraft and security costs.

The Associated Press formula is designed to isolate the value that the company's board placed on the executive's total compensation package during the last fiscal year. Its calculation of total pay includes executives' salary, bonus, incentives, perks, above-market returns on deferred compensation and the estimated value of stock options and awards at the time they are granted during the year.

The calculations don't include changes in the present value of pension benefits, and they sometimes differ from the totals that companies list in the summary compensation table of proxy statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Copyright © 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Update

2011-01-28T10:23:00.000-05:00

Bargaining Update

The Service Trades Council Union and Disney Management have met with a Federal Mediator on December 2, 2010 and January 7, 2011. The Bargaining Committee for the Union is determined to reach an agreement with Disney that “leaves no one behind”. Each of the Union’s proposals has attempted to lower medical costs and/or increase wages to offset each other so that no one makes less money at the end of the contract than they do today. Disney has rejected each of these proposals.

Another mediation session has been tentatively scheduled for February 10 or 11, 2011. The location of the discussion is to be determined. The current extension of the contract runs through February 17, 2011.

Health Insurance Increases

On January 1, 2011, Disney increased the weekly contribution that you pay out of your check each week for Health Insurance. The Union does not agree with this change and has filed an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). We should know the outcome of this charge over the next period of time. It is possible that this issue could be settled through bargaining.

The Union was able to take action on this issue because of the commitment to member involvement. Shop Stewards talking with members was an important step in learning of this change and being able to address it.

Press

2011-01-07T22:10:00.000-05:00

WFTV Channel 9 report at 6pm:
http://www.wftv.com/video/26406027/index.html

WKMG Channel 6 report:
http://www.clickorlando.com/video/26406267/index.html

Orlando Sentinel Article:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/the-daily-disney/os-disney-union-negotiations-20110107,0,1445428.story

Update for January 7

2011-01-07T17:16:00.000-05:00

Bargaining today with Disney produced no results. The Union Bargaining Committee made multiple proposals to try to reach an agreement. Disney management rejected each proposal.

The current contract has been extended through February 17, 2011. Bargaining sessions have tentatively been scheduled for February 10 and 11, 2011.

2010-12-29T22:57:00.000-05:00

“You can dream, create, design and build, but
it
requires PEOPLE to make the dream a
reality” – Walt Disney

Those PEOPLE are your frontline Cast Members.

The rides don’t run, the merchandise doesn’t sell, the hotel rooms don’t get cleaned, the buses don’t drive, the food doesn’t get cooked or served, the restrooms don’t get cleaned, without those PEOPLE.

It’s time for Disney Management to offer a fair contract that offers equal wage increases for all Cast Members and that covers the cost of medical insurance. A bargaining session between the parties is scheduled for Friday, January 7, 2011 at the textile services building. THe session should start at 10am.

DISNEY CAN DO BETTER.

Orlando Sentinel Article

2010-12-29T22:42:00.000-05:00

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/the-daily-disney/os-disney-unions-20101229,0,5856998.story

Disney workers may face choice: Accept contract — or strike
By Jason Garcia, Orlando Sentinel
6:58 p.m. EST, December 29, 2010

When Caitlin Owens, a 23-year-old attractions worker in Disney's Hollywood Studios, studies the contract Walt Disney World has offered to its largest labor group, she sees herself losing ground. Owens, who must pay for pricey family medical insurance to cover her husband and daughter, says she would ultimately earn less money, as rising insurance premiums more than wipe out modest annual raises.

"With the resources that Disney has, the almost endless funding that Disney has, they can do better. They're just choosing not to," Owens said.

But when Andy Gonzalez, a 41-year-old chef's assistant in Hollywood Studios, looks at the same proposal, he sees peace of mind. At a time when regional unemployment is almost 12 percent, Gonzalez said Disney is offering 3 1/2 years of job security — plus three raises and a bonus.

"Look at what happened to SeaWorld," Gonzalez said, referring to the 125 layoffs that the Orlando marine park made earlier this month. "With this economy that we're going through right now, we're very happy to keep our jobs."

It's a split that extends across Disney World, where the resort's management and the Service Trades Council — a coalition of six unions that represents 20,800 full-time workers — are locked in contract negotiations stalled for more than two months.

Workers have already rejected the contract once, voting it down in October. But Disney, determined to keep a lid on expenses after a year in which labor costs swelled across its global theme-park division, insists that its first offer was its final one.

To break the stalemate, it appears increasingly likely that Disney workers will be presented with a stark choice shortly after the New Year begins: Accept the terms — or authorize a strike.

"Something's got to give," said Ed Chambers, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1625 and a critic of the contract proposal. "We're going to have to do some type of major job action to get the company's attention and let them know we're serious."

In broad terms, the contract that Disney has put on the table would give full-time employees an immediate $550 bonus and three annual raises beginning in April. But health-insurance premiums would also rise, potentially climbing by the end of the deal by as much as $12 a week for employee-only coverage and $38 a week for full family coverage.

For many Disney World workers, where pay ranges from $7.45 an hour to more than $20 an hour depending on the job, opinions on the contract depend largely on what they do at the resort.

Housekeepers, for instance, generally support it, as they would get raises of 3.5 percent in 2011, 3.75 percent in 2012 and 4 percent in 2013 — among the biggest pay jumps Disney is offering anyone. But most merchandise workers, who would receive only 3 percent raises each year, oppose the deal.

Watercraft and monorail drivers like that they would get an extra 60 cents an hour in exchange for random drug testing. But bus drivers, many with Disney for years and at the top of their pay scales, hate that such "topped out" workers would receive smaller annual raises — 2 percent to 2.5 percent.

Not surprisingly, the unions representing housekeepers and monorail pilots are among the three council groups lobbying to get the contract ratified. The unions representing merchandise workers and bus drivers are among the three campaigning against it.

Wages and insurance are essentially the only issues that remain in dispute. Six months of negotiations have resolved almost all "noneconomic" issues — from the size of the dining parties for which waiters get automatic gratuities to the types of cleaning products that housekeepers can use in hotel rooms — with the exception of a scheduling dispute involving bus drivers.

But Disney has said repeatedly that it does not intend to add more money to the pot. The resort says the overwhelming majority of its workers would make more money under the pact and that only in rare circumstances — workers in the lowest pay grades with the most expensive insurance options — might someone lose ground.

"The package we offered is fair and guarantees yearly pay raises and affordable, high-quality health-care options," said Steve Eisenhardt, vice president of labor relations for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. "It is our final offer and, given its strength, we have no further plans to enhance it."

The Walt Disney Co. recently concluded its 2010 fiscal year, in which operating profit in its theme-park division sank 7 percent — to just more than $1.3 billion — in large part because its labor costs jumped 6 percent.

Bargaining, which began six months ago, has been put on hold during the holidays, as Disney management and workers alike focus instead of the annual crush of Christmas-to-New-Year's visitors. The talks will restart again Jan. 7 when the two sides will meet for the second time with a federal mediator, though the first session, held earlier this month, proved fruitless.

Absent an unexpected compromise, union officials say it appears they will bring the contract back to their members for a second vote later in the month. This time, however, they say the vote will likely be coupled with a request to authorize a strike.

Few think a walkout is a possibility. But workers must make it clear how far they are willing to go in hopes of pressuring Disney into sweetening its offer, said Joe Condo, president of Transportation Communications International Union Local 1908, another of the council's six unions.

"We have to determine: Are we willing to strike?" said Condo, who supports the contract. "If it's not going to improve, what are we going to do to make it improve?"

Jason Garcia can be reached at jrgarcia@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5414.

We are still fighting for our future

2010-12-20T22:31:00.000-05:00

Local 362 and the Service Trades Council (STCU) have been locked in negotiations with Disney management for nearly 6 months. The Union is seeking fair wage increases and affordable health insurance. The membership of the Union rejected Disney’s current offer on October 14, 2010. Since then, Disney has held an offer on the table that is worse than the one previously rejected. The current offer is the same as the one we rejected, minus the $100 bonus for voting “yes”. Despite that, the offer continues to leave workers with families and health insurance making less money at the end of the contract. Disney insists the offer is “fair and competitive”. The Local 362 bargaining committee is determined to fight for our goals.

The parties’ meeting with a federal mediator on Thursday, December 2, 2010 proved fruitless. Every proposal the Union made to Disney was rejected. After that session, the STCU extended the current agreement until January 20, 2011.

Throughout bargaining, activists of Local 362 raised their voices. On October 22 at Labor Relations, on November 16 at DTD Vice-President Keith Bradford’s office, and on December 16 at the Epcot Leadership Office (pictured above) large groups of workers went to deliver a message that “Disney can do better.”

During Thanksgiving week, staff members of UNITE HERE! Local 362, UFCW Local 1625 and Teamsters Local 385, passed out fliers at Orlando International Airport stating that the relationship between Disney and it’s Cast Members is: “Tangled.”

On November 30, 2010, the STCU held a red-carpet premiere of MOUSETRAPPED 2010 ( http://www.youtube.com/james112680 ) and then rallied to bring our message to the public. Every major news station covered the event and the release of the film has had over 50,000 views associated with its content. Over a hundred workers rallied at Crossroads with signs and chants stating “What do we want? CONTRACT. When do we want it? NOW” and “It’s a small check after all.”

Bargaining is scheduled to resume on January 7, 2011, between the parties. In the meantime, Local 362 and the other fighting Unions at Disney will continue to put pressure on the Company to offer a fair contract. Stay up to date by checking the hot line at (407) 851-0626, extension 29

Contract Extended

2010-12-08T22:07:00.000-05:00

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/the-daily-disney/os-disney-union-contract-20101208,0,6699770.story

Disney, union extend contract until after holidays
By Jason Garcia, Orlando Sentinel
3:20 p.m. EST, December 8, 2010

Walt Disney World and its largest labor group, stuck in deadlocked contract talks, said Wednesday that they have agreed to extend their current pact until after the holidays.
Disney's contract with the Service Trades Council, which represents about 20,800 full-time workers at the giant resort, will now run through Jan. 20. It had been scheduled to expire Dec. 11.

The six-week extension was driven in large part by the calendar. With Christmas approaching — an intensely busy period of the year for Disney World, as children across North America are out of school — making time for further negotiations or staging a worker vote is becoming increasingly difficult.

Disney and the Trades Council have been negotiating since June.

Mediation Report

2010-12-02T22:30:00.000-05:00

STCU representatives and Disney management met with a Federal Mediator on Thursday and no progress was made at the bargaining table. Union representatives made a number of creative and compromising proposals in an attempt to reach agreement. However, Disney Management rejected each proposal. No future bargaining dates have been scheduled. The current agreement runs through December 11, 2010.

Orlando Sentinel article:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/the-daily-disney/os-disney-union-mediation-120210-20101202,0,6817803.story

WFTV report:
http://www.wftv.com/news/26003101/detail.html

For more information, you can always call the bargaining hot line at (407) 851-0626, ext. 29.

MOUSETRAPPED 2010

2010-12-02T19:54:00.000-05:00

The full version of MOUSETRAPPED 2010 can be seen here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5BMQ3xQc7o

Enjoy!

Mediation location

2010-12-01T10:27:00.000-05:00

The location for the mediation session is scheduled for Thursday, December 2, 2010 at the Textile Services Area Housekeeping Plant in the Training room on the second floor. The address is 3451 Bonnet Creek Road. The session is scheduled to start at 1030am with the Company.

Please contact your Shop Steward for more information.

Trailer

2010-11-24T19:39:00.000-05:00

Here is the trailer of MOUSETRAPPED 2010:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubqZNb_UO-8

Come see the premiere!

Tuesday, November 30, 2010
5pm
Sheraton Safari Hotel

MOUSETRAPPED 2010

2010-11-20T11:18:00.001-05:00

The Service Trades Council presents:

MOUSETRAPPED 2010

MOUSETRAPPED 2010, is the story of the workers who make the magic, and their struggles in these tough economic times. A backstage glimpse at the real world of Disney, and what pixie dust is made of...

Tuesday, November 30, 2010
5pm
Sheraton Safari Hotel
12205 South Apopka Vineland Road, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32836
At the intersection of SR 535 & Palm Parkway – across from Olive Garden

This event will be followed by a march to Crossroads and informational picket line.

More Action!

2010-11-17T15:32:00.000-05:00

This group of Disney workers from Attractions, Custodial, Food and Beverage, Housekeeping, Merchandise, Transportation and Vacation Planning delivered our message that "Disney can do better" to Downtown Disney Vice-President on November 16, 2010.

Mediation

2010-11-08T12:17:00.000-05:00

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/the-daily-disney/os-disney-union-negotiations-20101105,0,1248818.story

Disney, union to seek mediation in deadlocked contract talks

Walt Disney World and its largest union group have agreed to bring in a federal mediator to help resolve deadlocked contract talks, the two sides announced Friday.

As part of the move, Disney and the Service Trades Council extended their current labor contract until Dec. 11. The contract, which had already been extended twice, had been set to expire in a few days.

Mediation meetings have been scheduled for Dec. 2.

Disney and the Service Trades Council were forced to turn to outside mediators during contract negotiations in 1998, 2001 and 2004. But they were able to avoid doing so during their last round of talks in 2007.

"Frankly, I much prefer it when the parties can reach agreement directly and personally," Service Trades Council President Harris Raynor said. "But [mediation is] a tool that people use in labor relations and let's hope it helps everybody see the other guy's point of view."

The Trades Council represents approximately 20,800 full-time workers at Disney World, from housekeepers and cooks to costumed characters and monorail pilots.

The current negotiations began in June. But they stalled last month, when workers voted down a proposed 42-month contract that critics claimed would have unfairly distributed raises and not lifted wages enough to offset rising health-insurance costs.

The two sides briefly returned to the negotiating table last week. But Disney rejected a new union proposal and responded by offering up the same contract that had been voted down — minus a $100 bonus the company had promised every full-time employee had the contract been ratified on the first vote.

In a joint statement, Disney and the union said "reaching an agreement on a new contract remains a priority."

Jason Garcia can be reached at jrgarcia@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5414.

MouseTrapped

2010-11-05T16:21:00.000-04:00

Remember this?

Part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTflAHf6uk4

Part 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkkWbYOtqjs&feature=related

Still rings true today! Maybe someone should make a new version...

Nothing.

2010-10-27T22:03:00.000-04:00

It should really say LESS...

At negotiations today, Disney presented the same offer we rejected on October 14, 2010, minus the $100 ratification bonus. The Service Trades Council has taken a position of rejecting the offer (a majorty of the Unions voted to reject the offer, 4-2).

The current extension of the agreement ends November 8, 2010.

Local 362 is holding a General Membership Meeting tomorrow, Thursday, October 28, 2010 at 9am and 6pm at the Local 362 Union Hall to decide our next steps. All members are encouraged to attend.

Negotiations resume

2010-10-25T18:12:00.000-04:00

Disney negotiations are scheduled to resume on Wednesday, October 27, 2010 at 10am. The bargaining session is being held in the DC-2 building in the Town Hall Conference Room. The DC-2 building is located at 1800 Live Oak Lane. All members are welcome to attend.

Actions speak louder than words

2010-10-23T08:38:00.000-04:00

This group of workers went to the Disney Executive Offices on October 22, 2010 to ask for fair wage increases and affordable health care. Si, se puede!

Victory!

2010-10-14T23:42:00.000-04:00

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/the-daily-disney/os-disney-union-vote-1015-20101014,0,7122659.story

Disney World unions vote against proposed new contract; current deal set to expire Saturday

"The contract was rejected," said Harris Raynor, president of Walt Disney World's Service Trades Council, late Thursday.

Unionized workers at Walt Disney World voted against a proposed labor contract Thursday, despite the largest of the resort's unions coming out in support of the contract before the vote.

"The contract was rejected," Harris Raynor, president of Walt Disney World's Service Trades Council, said late Thursday.

The current contract will continue through Saturday at midnight, a Disney spokeswoman said.
The largest labor group at Walt Disney World, the Service Trades Council, represents approximately 20,000 full-time workers at the resort. The council is made up of six unions that negotiate together.

It was unclear late Thursday whether the exact voting tallies would be released by all the unions.

In a statement, Disney repeated its claim that the proposed contract included competitive wage increases for workers.

"During any labor negotiations, it's important for those involved to bring reasonable and realistic expectations to the table," said Steve Eisenhardt, vice president of labor relations for Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, in a statement. "We continue to stand by our offer of competitive wage increases and affordable health care."

Eric Clinton, president of Unite Here! Local 362 and a vocal critic of the contract, said about 86 percent of his union's voting members were opposed to the contract.

"I'm incredibly happy that our members got to speak and sent the message to Disney that we can do better," he said.

The proposed contract would have guaranteed a one-time $550 bonus plus three 3 percent raises during the course of the 42-month contract for full-time workers not already at the top of their pay scale.

However, some union members were unhappy that workers in select job categories would receive bigger bumps — between 3.25 percent and 4 percent a year.

While Disney said the higher raises should go to the workers in more specialized professions, critics said the proposal was unfair because those with less-specialized job classifications already earn less money.

Asked what the Service Trades Council's next move would be, Raynor said member unions would look to the next round of negotiations.

"The affiliates of the council will be meeting and deciding how to respond," he said.
Raynor is also an elected representative of Workers United, SEIU Local 737, the largest of the Service Trades Council unions and one of the two that endorsed the contract. Workers United had been joined in its support with the smallest of the six unions, the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees Local 631.

Three of the other unions, Unite Here! Local 362, Teamsters Local 385 and United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1625, had announced opposition to the contract's ratification. The sixth, the Transportation Communications International Union Local 1908 remained neutral as the vote approached.

Ed Chambers, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1625, said Thursday night he was happy with the result of the vote, but bothered by what he saw as interference from Disney management leading up to it.

Before the Thursday vote, union opponents of the contract distributed fliers urging workers to vote no, under the slogan "Send Disney a message: We're worth more."

Meanwhile, Disney countered with posters featuring the message: "A vote to ratify = more money" — a reminder that Disney was offering each full-time worker a $100 bonus if the contract was approved on the first vote.

Chambers said he considered the posters an unwelcome and unusual intrusion into a purely union vote. He said his union voted 690 to 48 against the contract.

Reached late Thursday, Disney spokeswoman Andrea Finger said it was "still too early" to say what the theme park giant's next move would be in negotiations.

However, Clinton said the union members "have spoken."

"Disney now needs to listen," he said. "They need to come back to the bargaining table with something better."

Jason Garcia of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report. Jeff Weiner can be reached at 407-420-5171 or jeweiner@orlandosentinel.com.

VOTE NO!

2010-10-13T22:36:00.000-04:00

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Contemporary Resort

7am - 7pm

Disney is paying you to go during work and providing transportation. If you are off, you can get 2 hours of report pay to vote. Ask your manager when you can go vote NO.

VOTE NO!

48 hours

2010-10-12T21:49:00.000-04:00

until we know the results!

The UFCW, Teamsters and UNITE HERE! having been doing excellent work. Thousands of members have been contacted and our NO vote is strong. There is still plenty of work to do by talking with our co-workers, but we have plenty of time to do it.

Contract Vote
Thursday, October, 14, 2010
7am - 7pm

Unions voting at Contemporary: Local 362, Local 737, UFCW, TCU
Union voting at Studios: IATSE
Union voting at TTC: Teamsters

VOTE NO!

Yes, we can!

In the mail...

2010-10-10T19:24:00.000-04:00

This came in the mail...

October 7, 2010

Sisters and Brothers,

Since the middle of June, the Local 362 Bargaining Committee has been meeting with Disney management to discuss your wages and working conditions. While at times the bargaining was incredibly difficult, this round of negotiations has produced many improvements for you and your co-workers. At the same time our Committee won these improvements, we also stopped the Company from taking anything away.

These improvements and defense of our current agreement came through one thing: Member participation. This started with thousands of members collecting surveys to decide the Bargaining Committee’s demands back in the spring of this year. It then continued with nearly one hundred workers delegating upper management around our contract demands and hundreds of workers putting scheduling concerns in writing. During Bargaining, over three hundred workers have attended to show support of the Union.

Then we started to talk money. Unfortunately, the final economic offer is not one that I can recommend to you. I believe that your hard work has kept Disney profitable and will continue to make this company a success. With that, I believe they should pay a fair wage and offer affordable health care. Their current offer has an overwhelming majority of our members making less money at the end of the proposed contract than they do today.

I believe that we can accomplish more on wages and health care, but only with your involvement. We will be voting on the current offer from the Company on Thursday, October 14, 2010 from 7am-7pm at the Contemporary Resort. It is critical that every member VOTE NO on the current offer and send the Company negotiators back to the bargaining table.

In Solidarity,

Eric Clinton
President

VOTE NO!

2010-10-06T20:35:00.000-04:00

Local 362 is recommending a NO vote on the current offer from the Company because Disney can do better.

We deserve fair and equal wage increases every year of the contract. We deserve affordable medical insurance. We can not accept a contract where the increases in medical costs are greater than the raise we achieve. We deserve to take home MORE money, not LESS.

Send a message to Disney: We’re worth more!

Full-Time Contract Vote

Thursday, October 14, 2010
Contemporary Resort, Convention Center
Polls open from 7am-7pm

Vote NO!

Sentinel Article

2010-10-05T10:32:00.000-04:00

http://thedailydisney.com/blog/2010/10/disney-unions-split-before-contract-vote/

Disney unions split before contract vote

Jason Garcia, News — By Staff on October 4, 2010 at 11:38 pm

After more than three months of negotiations, Walt Disney World and its largest labor group are preparing for a potentially fractious vote on a new employment contract.

Three of the six unions that make up Disney’s Service Trades Council — which represents approximately 20,000 full-time workers at the resort — are urging their members to reject the proposed contract in an election tentatively set for Oct. 14.

Two of the council’s other unions have yet to take a position on the contract. And the sixth group is recommending a yes vote.

The split centers in large part on how Disney would distribute raises during the course of the 42-month contract.

Under the proposal, all full-time employees would get a $550 bonus this year and, provided they are not already at the top of their individual pay scale, at least 3 percent raises in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

But employees in select positions would receive larger raises — as much as 4 percent a year. For example, while merchandise workers would get 3 percent increases all three years, monorail employees would get 3.25 percent in 2011, 3.75 percent in 2012 and 4 percent in 2013.

Critics say the proposal is unfair, in part because some of the smallest raises are in less-specialized job classifications where workers already earn less money.
“The people who make the least are those who can least afford to get the smallest percentage increase,” said Julee Jerkovich, secretary-treasurer for United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1625, which represents merchandise employees as well as banquet workers and florists. “We believe that Disney can give raises, and they can give an equal percentage raise.”

Steve Eisenhardt, vice president of labor relations for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, said each raise is based on a variety of factors unique to each job classification, such as how difficult a position is to fill.

“We evaluate them based on the skills necessary, the market competitiveness, … and we come to a conclusion as to what those increases can be,” Eisenhardt said.

Others say the overall size of the raises are inadequate for a company like Disney, whose theme-park division earned $1.4 billion last year, though that operating profit was down 25 percent from the year before. Many workers, they say, would see their raises largely wiped out by increases in health-insurance premiums.

“OK, these are tough economic times. But not for Disney,” said Donna-Lynne Dalton, a business agent for Teamsters Local 385, which represents bus drivers, characters and others. “It’s tougher than it has been, I’ll give you that. But they’re still doing very well.”

Disney’s Eisenhardt said the raises on the table “are very fair, very competitive in this environment.”

Union leaders say they are pleased with some provisions of the contract. During the two sides’ final bargaining session on Friday, for instance, Disney dropped a proposal to eliminate pensions for new hires and instead institute 401(k) retirement-investment accounts.

Disney is also dangling an extra sweetener in hopes of winning quick approval from workers: a $100 bonus for each employee should the contract be approved on the first vote.

Jason Garcia can be reached at jrgarcia@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5414.

Summary of economics

2010-10-03T00:29:00.000-04:00

On October 1, 2010, the Walt Disney Company made it’s “best” offer to the workers on economics. Below is a summary:

Term of Agreement
42 Month Contract – October 3, 2010 through March 29, 2014

Wages
Workers hired before 12/12/1998 – “Topped-out”
10/2/2010 - $550 Bonus
4/3/2011 - 2% wage increase
4/1/2012 - 2.25% wage increase
3/31/2013 - 2.5% wage increase

Workers hired after 12/12/1998 – “In-range”
10/2/2010 - $550 Bonus
4/3/2011 - 3% wage increase
4/1/2012 - 3% wage increase
3/31/2013 - 3% wage increase

Health Insurance
Negotiated caps on the HMO medical plan cost. Increases range from $3 to $12 per week per year depending of the level of coverage and year of the agreement.

Retirement
No change in current benefits

Holidays and Vacation benefits
No change in current benefits

Random Alcohol and drug testing
Ability to test driving roles, but only with agreement from the Union

Ratification bonus
$100 if ratified by members on first contract vote

While tremendous progress was made for the Disney Cast Members throughout negotiations on work rules and job-specific issues, this offer falls short of addressing the needs of the employees as it relates to economics. A contract vote will be scheduled in the near future. REJECT this offer and send the Company back to the bargaining table.

UNITE HERE! Local 362 is recommending a “NO” vote

Disney's "Best" offer

2010-10-02T01:17:00.000-04:00

Disney management made it's "best" economic offer late this evening. The overall proposal falls short of the Local 362's bargaining committees goals. In short, wage increases offered to the Cast Members are far too small and get eaten up by the proposed increases in health insurance. The proposal has many workers making less money at the end of the contract.

The Union has been able to protect the Pension plan for all workers.

More details about the entire offer will follow...

A contract vote will be scheduled in the next two weeks. Local 362 is recommending a NO vote to reject the Company's offer. Disney can do better.

Time is running out...

2010-10-01T00:18:00.000-04:00

Union leaders and Disney management continue to negotiate the wages and working conditions for the nearly 30,000 service workers who work hard to make the Disney Corporation successful.

The Union’s Bargaining Committee remains committed to reaching the goals of the members.

- REAL wage increases every year of the contract for every worker
- Maintain affordable and quality health insurance
- A guaranteed retirement plan for every worker

Local 362 will not accept an agreement where any worker makes less money in any year of the contract than they did the year before. It is critical that all wage increases outpace any increase in health insurance costs.

Our contract with Disney expires at midnight on Saturday, October 2, 2010.

A bargaining session will take place on Friday, October 1, 2010 at the Buena Vista Palace in the “Islander” conference room near the pool. The session will start at 1030am and go throughout the day.

Main Table update

2010-09-27T12:40:00.001-04:00

Main Table negotiations will continue this week on Wednesday and Thursday at the Buena Vista Palace in the "Islander" room located near the pool area. Sessions generally start around 1030am and end around 6pm.

The STCU and Disney have resolved all non-economic issues except random drug testing. The Union has won the right to wear Union pins in off-stage roles, protected Coordinator status and transfer language in last weeks meetings.

Disney has made their opening economic proposal. This proposal is unfaithful to the workers. Shortly put, workers would receive no raise this year and each of the following years would make less money each year because the proposed health care costs are greater than the proposed wage increases. Local 362 will not accept such an offer.

The contract expires this Saturday, October 2 at midnight. The clock is ticking...

AGREEMENT REACHED ON SIDE LETTERS

2010-09-18T09:47:00.000-04:00

The Local 362 Side Letter bargaining committee reached a unanimously recommended tentative agreement with Disney management regarding job specific issues on September 17, 2010. After 11 days of bargaining, roughly 300 different rank-and-file members attending, collective action by the entire membership and members directly speaking with Disney Executives, we were able to gain improvements in the wages and working conditions while preventing take-a-ways from the Company.

All of Local 362’s members will benefit from this agreement because of improved Labor/Management language to be able to address workplace issues, improved representation rights and Safety language.

The Custodial Side Letter will contain improvements around scheduling, adding equipment to the Utility premium, transfers to the same job classification and the incident/accident policy. Additionally, Custodial workers required to use rappelling methods for work will gain a fifty cent ($0.50) per hour premium, the utility premium will be increased to forty cents ($0.40) in the second year of the contract and the creation of an Environmental Services position at the Magic Kingdom with a one dollar and fifty cents ($1.50) premium. All Custodial workers will be provided with work shoes starting in 2011 at no cost to the employees.

Attractions Cast Members gained improvements around scheduling and transfers. Academy Artists in the Attractions LOB achieved a forum to address specific issues related to their jobs. All Attractions workers won a ten cent ($0.10) wage adjustment in the second year of the contract in addition to any wage increases negotiated at the Main Table by the STCU.

Auto Plaza, Ticketing and Vacation Planning all restructured their agreements as it relates to cash handling and Operating Guideline errors. Ticketing increased the premium for Ticket Sales to forty cents ($0.40) per hour at Cirque Du Soleil, Disney Quest, the Sports Complex and Water Parks. Both Auto Plaza and Ticketing separated cash handling and Operating Guideline discipline from the general discipline matrix.

All of these improvements represent a major victory for the Local 362 members. There is still tremendous work to do around the overall package at the Main Table, but all Local 362 members should feel proud of the progress made in this agreement. Main Table Negotiations are scheduled over the next two weeks each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. In the very near future, a vote over the Company’s proposal will be scheduled and all members are needed to mobilize for this action. The contract expires on October 2, 2010.

Upcoming Main Table bargaining sessions:

Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Sessions generally start at 10am and end around 6pm
Meetings are held at the Buena Vista Palace Hotel in Islander Room located near the pool area

Contract Update - 9/10/10

2010-09-10T16:55:00.000-04:00

Contract Negotiations have been underway since the middle of June. Disney has met with each Union in Side Letter meetings to discuss job specific issues. Local 362 and Disney continue to have proposals on the table related to Attractions and Custodial. Main Table meetings to discuss non-economic issues have occurred over the last two weeks.

Non-economic improvements affecting all Disney Service Workers:

- Strengthening Union Representation rights with improved language around Union Rep access, bulletin boards, translation, pay for suspension related to an HR/Compliance investigation and adding a mediation step to the grievance procedure.
- Improved work rules including uninterrupted breaks and lunches, 180 days to submit expired work authorization documents and maintaining the current Call Sick Free system.
- Improving pay practices by adding Jury Duty as time worked for computation of overtime, maintaining the current application of holidays and securing weekly payroll on Thursdays.

The Union has also been able to secure language maintaining the current contract language around scheduling, subcontracting and letters of understanding. The remaining non-economic items on the table are:

- Scope of the agreement (areas covered)
- Coordinators selection, pay and removal
- The right to wear Union pins
- Safety at work language
- Transfers procedures
- Random drug testing

Main Table bargaining will continue over the next 3 weeks to address these open items and the economic package from the Company. The bargaining committee is committed to:

► Increasing every worker’s wage (NO BONUSES!)
► Maintain quality health insurance while improving affordability
► Improving every worker’s Pension

Main Table Negotiations
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
(There is no bargaining on Tuesday or Thursday)
10am to 6pm
At the Buena Vista Palace Hotel
Scotland “C” in the Convention Center

Local 362 Side Letter Negotiations
Friday, September 17, 2010
Starting at 10:30am and continuing all day
(Come and stay for as long as you can)
At the DC-2 building in the “World of Disney” (formerly the “Town Hall”) Conference room located at 1800 Live Oak Lane

Negotiation Schedule - UPDATED

2010-09-06T10:06:00.000-04:00

Main Table Bargaining Continues this week:

Tuesday, September 7
Wednesday, September 8
Thursday, September 9

Bargaining is being held at the Buena Vista Palace in the "Islander Room" by the pool area. Sessions generally start around 10am and go until 6pm.

Local 362 Side Letter Negotiating Day

Friday, September 17

Bargaining is being held in the DC-2 building located at 1800 Live Oak Lane in the World of Disney Conference Room. Bargaining will start around 1030am and go until a fair agreement has been reached.

Show me the money

2010-08-28T13:43:00.000-04:00

http://thedailydisney.com/blog/2010/08/disney-workers-awarded-more-than-433k-in-back-pay/

Disney workers awarded more than $433K in back pay

Cast Members, Featured — August 26, 2010 at 10:17 pm
By Jeff Weiner, Orlando Sentinel

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts has agreed to pay almost half a million dollars in back pay to employees as a result of violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act, the U.S. Department of Labor announced Thursday.

An agency investigation revealed that inventory control clerks in the company’s food and beverage department were not paid for work activities that occurred before and after their shifts, labor officials say.

Officials say the investigation also revealed that the clerks worked through meal times and from home without compensation.

According to a Department of Labor release, 69 employees with receive $433,819 in back wages owed by the company.

“While Walt Disney has specific rules regarding off-clock work, an investigation conducted by the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found that managers within the company were not adhering to those important policies,” Nancy Leppink of the agency’s Wage and Hour Division said in a statement.

“It is not enough to have policies,” Leppink said. “Management must also ensure that all supervisors are implementing them.”

The Fair Labor Standards Act establishes, among other things, minimum wage and overtime pay guidelines for employers. Time worked over 40 hours per week by qualified employees is considered overtime.

According to the release, the amount of hours worked includes “all time an employee must be on duty, or on the employer’s premises or at any other prescribed place of work.”

A request for comment from a company spokesman was not immediately returned.

Jeff Weiner can be reached at 407-420-5171 or jeweiner@orlandosentinel.com

Main Table Resumes

2010-08-25T17:42:00.000-04:00

Main Table negotiations resume next week starting on Tuesday, August 31, 2010. Bargaining is scheduled for every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from now throughout the expiration of the contract, October 2, 2010. The sessions are scheduled to take place at the Buena Vista Palace Resort across from Downtown Disney's Marketplace at 10am each day and run through 6pm.

Please check the bargaining hot line, 407 851 0626 extension 29, or with your Shop Steward for more information.

Theme Park performance improves

2010-08-10T21:21:00.000-04:00

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/tourism/os-disney-earnings-20100810,0,6277787.story

Outlook improves for Disney theme parks
By Jason Garcia, Orlando Sentinel
7:08 p.m. EDT, August 10, 2010os-disney-earnings-20100810

The Walt Disney Co.'s theme-park business may finally be near the bottom of what is now a nearly two-year downturn.

Disney said Tuesday that fiscal-fourth-quarter hotel reservations at its resorts in Orlando and in Anaheim, Calif., are running just 1 percent behind the same period a year ago — the most promising bookings pace the company has reported in more than a year.

That prompted a relatively upbeat — though still tempered — assessment from Disney Co. President and Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger.

"The fact that we're only 1 percent down in the parks at this time is very encouraging," Iger said during a conference call to discuss Disney's fiscal-third-quarter earnings. Iger added, though, that "visibility is still relatively limited, and you're dealing with an economy that is certainly fragile."

Iger's remarks followed an earnings report that easily topped Wall Street expectations, as Disney was powered by a resurgent movie studio and its ESPN cable-sports network.
Disney said it earned $1.3 billion during the three months that ended July 3, up 40 percent from profit of $954 million a year ago. Revenue grew across all of Disney's major divisions, rising overall by 16 percent to $10 billion.

Disney's theme parks were the weakest performer among the company's five main segments. Operating profit at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts fell 8 percent to $477 million, though sales climbed 3 percent to $2.8 billion.

The park results reflected Disney's efforts to continue reducing the size of the discounts it has been using to stimulate travel during the global economic downturn.

Combined attendance at Disney's U.S. resorts fell 3 percent from a year ago, with a 2 percent decline at Walt Disney World and a 4 percent drop at Disneyland. But per-capita guest spending rose 5 percent, as smaller promotions produced higher average ticket prices.

Attendance comparisons were hurt by a shift in the timing of Easter, one of the busiest travel periods of the year. Excluding the effect of that shift, Disney said, combined U.S. attendance was down 1 percent for the quarter.

The effect of reduced discounts was particularly pronounced at Disney's hotels: Average occupancy at Disney World, where the company has roughly 25,000 hotel rooms, fell eight percentage points to 83 percent. But per-room spending, which includes the average room rate, rose 4 percent.

Disney Co. Chief Financial Officer Jay Rasulo said executives were pleased with their progress in phasing out discounts. "The volume and price tradeoff, we've been pretty happy with domestically," he said.

Executives said their theme parks were also hurt by higher operating costs for new offerings, including a summer parade and fireworks show at Disney World and the lavish "World of Color" water-and-lights show at Disney California Adventure — which Iger said has been luring "record crowds" to Disneyland's long-struggling second gate.

Profits at Disney Cruise Line suffered. Disney said the business was hurt by soft bookings for European cruises as well as by higher fuel expenses and start-up costs ahead of the January launch of its new, 4,000-passenger Disney Dream cruise ship.

But Disney said its forward-looking trends are more promising. Domestic hotel bookings for Disney's fiscal fourth quarter are currently running 9 percent behind last year's pace, but only because a quirk in Disney's accounting calendar gave last year's fourth quarter an additional week. When the effect of that extra week is stripped out, Disney said, bookings are down only 1 percent.

In each of the past two quarters, bookings had been running 10 percent behind the year-ago pace. "That suggests an improvement," Iger said.

Disney's best performances during the third quarter came from television and movie screens.
The company's movie studio rebounded from a year-ago loss to a $123 million operating profit, thanks to a string of hits that included Alice in Wonderland, Toy Story 3 and Iron Man 2, which was produced by Disney's recently acquired Marvel Entertainment studio. Disney's media networks reported operating profit of $1.9 billion, up 43 percent from last year, thanks in large part to continuing gains at its ESPN sports cable-TV channel.

Operating profit in Disney's consumer-products segment rose 22 percent to $117 million, helped by sales of Toy Story 3 and Marvel merchandise. And Disney's interactive-media unit narrowed its operating losses to $65 million, thanks to sales of the video games Toy Story 3 and Split Second.

Jason Garcia can be reached at jrgarcia@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5414.

Disney increases ticket prices

2010-08-04T20:03:00.001-04:00

Here is a link to the Orlando Sentinel Article:

http://thedailydisney.com/blog/2010/08/disney-raising-ticket-prices-once-again/

Incredible timing...

More bang for your buck!

2010-08-03T11:59:00.000-04:00

The 2010 opening set of “Side Letter” negotiations for Local 362 concluded with Attractions workers July 28-30. This round of negotiations was the most difficult so far. Disney has failed to address any of the core issues facing Attractions Cast Members. The Bargaining Committee left determined to organize their co-workers to stand-up for a fair contract.

The improvements achieved were:

- New Labor-Management Committee
- Pilot program to allow submitting Preference Sheets in between schedule bids
- Seniority applying for workers who transfer
- Representation rights

The Attraction Bargaining Committee is determined to push hard for their current demands to address scheduling and add a premium for workers who work in “Red-Triangle” Attractions. The Company has proposals on the table to include “Release of Shifts” in the attendance matrix, random drug testing and the elimination of the pension plan for new hires.

An all day Local 362 bargaining session is scheduled for Wednesday, August 18, 2010 at the DC-2 building located at 1800 Live Oak Lane starting at 9am. Issues remain open for Custodial, Vacation Planning, Ticketing and Attractions.
ALL MEMBERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND.

Orlando Sentinel Article

2010-07-26T10:20:00.000-04:00

Click here:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-disney-world-union-negotiations-20100725,0,378436,full.story

Attractions Negotiations

2010-07-23T21:32:00.000-04:00

Side letter negotiations are set for this coming week. The schedule is:

Wednesday, July 28
Thursday, July 29
Friday, July 30

Each session is scheduled to start at 10am and run through 6pm. The bargaining will be held at the SunTrust building across from Downtown Disney on the second floor.

For more information, contact your Shop Steward or Union Representative.

Membership Meeting

2010-07-18T22:24:00.000-04:00

General Membership Meeting

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

9am and 6pm

Reports on negotiations!

At Local 362 UNION HALL
1255 La Quinta Drive, Suite 212
Orlando, FL 32809

Google Map: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=1255+La+QUinta+Drive+Orlando,+FL&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=1255+La+Quinta+Dr,+Orlando,+Orange,+Florida+32809&gl=us&ei=27dDTJPqL4H_8Aa_srSYDw&ved=0CBoQ8gEwAA&z=16

Custodial Leaders

2010-07-16T20:34:00.000-04:00

The Disney Custodial Committee - July 14, 2010

Unacceptable.

2010-07-15T21:28:00.000-04:00

Disney can do better than this:

"5. Amusement park attendants
Florida and California, lands of amusement wonder, top the list of the most people employed in this profession, with 30,410 and 40,640 workers respectively.
In California, workers in this category make $9.57 an hour; but in Florida, land of Disney World, the wage is $8.90 an hour. Alas, Mickey Mouse isn’t spreading the joy to workers’ pockets. Wages there for these jobs are below the national mean hourly wage of $9.35 an hour.
These employees, who typically get on-the-job training and are expected to have good customer service skills, do everything from collecting tickets when you wait in line to ride the latest roller coaster to removing unruly patrons who have had too much cotton candy."

That piece was from the article "The 8 lowest-paying jobs in the Country" by Eve Tahmincioglu on msnbc.com

Here is the link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38168029/ns/business-careers/

We're worth more...

2010-07-15T21:23:00.000-04:00

This week in Custodial negotiations, over 125 workers attended to show Disney that the workers are the Union. Progress was made on improving language around driver’s licenses, accident standards, transfer procedures and worker representation rights. The bargaining Committee was able to hold onto third shift line bids and will continue to seek the same scheduling method for day shift Custodial. The Company is looking for stricter standards for employees without compensation - a longer probationary period for Custodial and Release of Shifts (ROS) to count towards the attendance matrix. At the end of the session, both parties have significant issues they are holding on to and no tentative agreement was reached. Local 362 expects that a follow-up session will be scheduled in August for Custodial, Vacation Planning and Tickets.

The next round of negotiations for Local 362 is Attractions. These bargaining sessions are scheduled for:

Wednesday, July 28
Thursday, July 29
Friday, July 30

Each session is scheduled to start at 10am and run through 6pm at the SunTrust building, second floor. ALL MEMBERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND!

This week at the bargaining table

2010-07-09T22:36:00.000-04:00

This week, Local 362 and Disney management sat down at the bargaining table to discuss issues related to Vacation Planning, Ticket Sales and Auto Plaza. In each bargaining session, the Union made proposals to increase wages, improve scheduling, protect Coordinators, enhance safety, simplify work rules and decrease discipline associated with the work. The Company made similar proposals around work rules with some exceptions, but did make unfaithful proposals including eliminating the pension plan for new workers, adding release of shifts to the attendance matrix, random drug testing, and stricter guidelines for workers who drive Company vehicles. The Union stated it has no interest in each of these proposals.

Both Vacation Planning and Ticket Sales negotiations were suspended without a tentative agreement despite the progress made during these discussions. The Bargaining Committee for the Union is hopeful a fair settlement can be reached with these groups when they reconvene. Dates for Vacation Planning and Ticket Sales will be scheduled in the near future. A unanimously recommended tentative agreement was reached with the Auto Plaza workers. This agreement includes separating cash handling and operating guideline errors from the regular discipline matrix along with establishing clear and fair processes for the handling of money and parking tickets.

Custodial Negotiations are the next set of negotiations scheduled for:

Monday, July 12
Tuesday, July 13
Wednesday, July 14

Each session is scheduled from 10am to 6pm at the DC-2 building in the Town Hall Conference Room located at 1800 Live Oak Lane. ALL MEMBERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND!

Side Letters to Start!

2010-06-30T10:46:00.001-04:00

On Wednesday, July 7 at 10am, Local 362 members will sit down with Disney to bargain job classification specific issues. The first bargaining session will address Vacation Planning issues. This meeting will be held at the SunTrust building on the second floor.

ALL MEMBERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND!

For a full schedule of these negotiating sessions, click here: http://www.uniteherelocal362.org/Sideletter%20flier.pdf

Disney Negotiations Start

2010-06-18T22:52:00.001-04:00

On Thursday, June 17, 2010, the Service Trades Council Union (STCU) began the process of renegotiating the contract covering 20,000 full-time workers at Walt Disney World. The session began with spokespersons from the Union and Company making opening remarks. The Union stated its position of increasing wages, making healthcare more affordable, protecting Union jobs, improving the pension plan and addressing issues with scheduling. The Company spokesperson said that the Company’s proposals would focus on flexibility to run the business more efficiently and remain true to the 4 key values of the Company: Safety, Courtesy, Show and Efficiency.

The Union held true to its word and made opening proposals that reflected its goals. In contrast, the Company made unfaithful proposals that would drastically change the working conditions at Theme parks and Resorts. What Disney management said, and did, were two different things. Those proposals included:

Eliminating the Pension plan for new hires
Eliminating Arbitration except for grievances involving institutional issues
Allowing the use of more Casual workers (CP, CT, ICP, etc.)
Eliminating the selection process for Coordinators
Changing all Coordinators to be “Relief” Coordinators
Allowing the Company to change scheduling methods and the payroll week without agreement from the Union
Eliminating a guarantee of hours when the Company changes your job classification
Drastically changing and adding restrictions to the call-sick free day policy
Addressing safety by invading your personal life with random drug tests without reasonable cause
Negatively modifying the Holiday procedures
Eliminating health insurance if employees utilize a government option or exchange

If agreed to, these proposals would allow the Company to dictate to you the working conditions of your job. None of these proposals come remotely close to addressing the 4 key values of the Disney Corporation. All of these proposals are serious take away proposals that will adversely affect you and your family. It’s important that all Disney workers stand together for a better future.

The day before negotiations began, almost 100 Local 362 members, in eight different properties, did just that. These leaders of the Union went to the VP or GM of their work area and demanded a fair contract. These workers are leading the way. Disney workers must continue these types of actions to send the message to Disney management that: it’s our hard work and loyalty that makes this Company succeed!

All of these proposals will be addressed at the next “main table” bargaining session scheduled for Tuesday, August 31, 2010. In the meantime, the 6 affiliate Unions, including UNITE HERE! Local 362, will be meeting with the Company to address specifics surrounding job classifications in “Side Letter” bargaining sessions.