Walt Disney World employees have rejected a new contract offer presented to the unions that represent around 32,000 workers, including attraction operators, performers, housekeepers, hospitality and retail workers, transport workers, and custodians. In a decisive vote of 96% against, Disney employees responded to a new five-year contract deal that would Disney described in a statement as offering “a nearly 10 percent on average raise immediately, as well as retroactive increased pay in their paychecks, and we are disappointed that those increases will now be delayed.”
The company’s offer would raise pay for the covered employees by at least $1 an hour per year, taking most workers to at least $20 an hour by 2026. About 13,800 of the workers would get a raise of more than $1 an hour in the first year. Under the proposal, certain workers (housekeepers, bus drivers, certain culinary employees) would reach $20 an hour in the first year. Disney’s offer includes various perks, including an additional 401(k) plan and eight weeks of paid family leave.
New York Times
