ORLANDO, Fla.—Under a tentative contract agreement announced Aug. 25 between Walt Disney World
5 and the Service Trades Council Union, the minimum wage for the 38,000 workers the six-union coalition represents will rise from $10 an hour to $15 in October 2021. The proposed five-year deal would increase starting wages to $11 by December, $13 in September 2019, and $14 in October 2020. STCU Secretary Treasurer Jeremy Haicken called it “historic,” and Disney World said it was the biggest raise it had ever offered service workers. Union employees, who include attraction workers, merchandise sellers, custodians, drivers, hotel housekeepers, and tech workers, will vote on whether to ratify it Sept. 5-6. They rejected Disney’s offer of a 50-cent raise last December. The proposal would also raise pay for workers making more than the minimum by $4.75, with $2.50 of that coming within the next six months, and it also includes $1,000 bonuses and retroactive pay of 50 cents an hour or 3%, whichever is greater, for hours worked since last Sept. 24. “Now, money tourists spend here in Central Florida will stay here, pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into local small businesses,” STCU President Matt Hollis told WFTV News. Read more
