Many of Disney World’s 75,000 Cast Members are represented by labor unions.
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In 2023, after months of stalled negotiations, a union representing the majority of Cast Members voted on and approved a new contract with Disney World. That contract Disney World’s minimum wage to $18 per hour. But not every Cast Member you encounter in Disney World is covered by the union contract. Today, one of Disney World’s largest labor unions announced an effort to expand and cover more Disney World workers.Â
Although Local 737 represents 19,000 Disney World workers, there are many employees who work at Disney World locations, including workers at restaurants on Disney World property, that are privately owned. For example, there are 56 food and beverage locations that are not owned by Disney — many of them in Disney Springs. The people who work there are employees of the companies who own the restaurants — not Disney.
Local 737
According to a survey released by the union, 59 percent of these workers are non-Disney-owned restaurants are part-time employees, 46 percent have no health insurance and 28 percent receive paid vacation, although the employees who are members of Local 737 all receive paid time off.
Unite Here Local 737 held a press conference on Sept. 18th.
Jeremy Haicken, President of Local 737, said there is an unacceptable difference in how Disney World union workers are treated compared to the non-Disney workers. He said that the union would fight for changes for this group of workers, including potentially having the workers join the union, which would provide them access to higher wages, and full-time jobs with access to health care, paid time off, and paid sick time.
This is a developing story, so stay tuned to DFB for more.
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Thank you Local 737! The hard workers at ALL levels in Disney World deserve living wages, no matter how many (or few) hours they work, as well as sick and vacation time!