After agreeing to a proposal by Disney, Services Trades Council Union workers voted 97% to ratify a new contract that will increase the minimum wage of some workers to as high as $28.60 by 2026. The agreement gives all current theme park workers a raise between $5.50 and $8.60 by the end of the contract (2026), with the first $3 in raises arriving this year.
Union leaders said that the following roles will receive wage increases, with raises retroactive to October 2022:
Union Housekeepers: increase from $17 to $20 immediately, ending at $24 in 2026.
Union Dishwashers: increase from $15 to $18 immediately, ending at $22 in 2026.
Cook 2 (Union Prep Cook): increase from $16.40 to $20 immediately, ending at $24 in 2026.
Cook 1 (Union Line Cook): increase from $19 to $23.10 immediately, ending at $27.10 in 2026.
Union Chef Assistant: increase from $20 to $24.60 immediately, ending at $28.60 in 2026.
Union Bus Drivers: increase from $18 to $20.50 immediately, ending at $24.50 in 2026.
The agreement will also include eight weeks of paid child bonding leave and increases to many hourly premiums, according to STCU.
Disney seems happy as well with the new agreement. President Jeff Vahle of Walt Disney World Resort said, “Our cast members have always been at the heart of the Walt Disney World experience, and we are thrilled that, with the support of the union, they have overwhelmingly approved this new five-year agreement that significantly increases wages, alongside our leading benefits program that includes affordable medical coverage and more.”
Disney is following other employers with the large increases to minimum wage. A proposal in NYC would see minimum wage there increase to $21.25 per hour by 2026.
Florida's Gov. Ron DeSantis promised more to come on the state’s increasingly convoluted fight with Disney to wrest back the company’s control of a swath of central Florida that is home to Walt Disney World.
About the writer: Matthew Woodruff is an Independent Journalist and Author who believes in Freely Accessible, Honest and Open Reporting. Visit at MattWoodruffAuthor.com.
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