A large union coalition of Disney World workers is fighting to raise the minimum wage from to an hour in the first year of a new contract with Disney.
While the contract negotiations continue with the company, one local released a new survey that details union workers’ struggles with inflation and rising costs in Central Florida.
Unite Local 737 surveyed its members last month and released the findings Thursday in a report called “Orlando Tourism Workers Need a Raise.”
The local represents 19,000 Central Florida workers including cooks, dishwashers, housekeepers, quick-service restaurant staff and others at Disney World, the Orange County Convention Center and a handful of other places. The vast majority of the 2,415 hourly tourism workers who responded to the survey work for The Mouse.
About 69% surveyed said at one point they didn’t have money to pay their rent or their mortgage this past year while 62% reported having less than $100 in their bank account. Just under half surveyed said they have skipped meals because they couldn’t afford to eat.
“We have no money in the bank. Sometimes I pay a bill this month and if I can’t pay the other bills, I leave it for the next month,” said Migdalia Viera, who is paid $15 an hour at Disney All-Star Music Resort.
Union leaders said the tourism industry has rebounded and companies like Disney are surpassing their pre-pandemic profits; meanwhile, workers are still living paycheck to paycheck and struggling to afford basic needs.
Disney World did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
According to the local’s survey, nearly four of every 10 said they worry about becoming homeless. Thirty-five percent said they work a second job and 21% said they added roommates to share the burden of living expenses. Twenty-five percent said they have skipped medicine a doctor prescribed because they couldn’t afford extra expenses.
“I do side jobs and work nights, as many hours as I can, and it’s still not enough to make ends meet. I work full time at Disney, and I put in about another 24 hours most weeks on my odd jobs,” said Earl Penson, who is paid $15.50 an hour as a Disney World food handler.
Local 737 is a part of the Service Trades Council Union (STCU), a coalition of six locals representing more than 40,000 employees at Disney World.
In 2018, Disney and STCU negotiated a contract that raised the minimum wage from $10 to $15 by October 2021 after a series of raises.
The two sides began negotiating for a new contract this summer to replace the old contract that expired last month. The next bargaining session is scheduled at the end of November.
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