Disney Workers’ Unions Announce Town Hall with Senate Candidate Angie Nixon
The announcement from the Disney Service Trades Council Unions details a town hall event scheduled for Tuesday evening at five thirty in the afternoon. Dozens of unionized Disney workers will participate in this private meeting with U.S. Senate candidate Angie Nixon who currently serves as a Florida State Representative. The unions taking part include the IAM Union the Transportation Communications Union IAM UNITE HERE Locals seven hundred thirty seven and three hundred sixty two TCU IBT Local three hundred eighty five IATSE and UFCW Local one thousand six hundred twenty five. The purpose is to allow these workers to engage with the candidate on matters important to their employment at the theme park resort.
The town hall begins at five thirty p.m. on Tuesday October twentieth with doors opening at four thirty p.m. It takes place at the UNITE HERE Local seven hundred thirty seven facility located at seven thousand eight hundred Southland Boulevard in Orlando Florida. Media representatives who have RSVP’d are invited to attend the event. To confirm attendance reporters should contact jbattaglia at iamaw dot org. The event is described as a special private labor campaign event where workers will speak directly with the candidate. This media advisory was issued jointly by the unions and the Angie Nixon Senate campaign.
The stated reason for the town hall centers on the affordability crisis facing Floridians and a specific concern raised by the workers regarding their employer. According to the announcement forty five thousand union represented workers at Walt Disney World in Orlando face a threat from their employer regarding their health insurance coverage for families. The unions claim that Disney’s worker policies are destabilizing families across the area and worsening the state’s affordability crisis. This situation has prompted the call for political figures who will address these corporate practices and support working people in the state.
Disney worker Carla Locklear a member of UNITE HERE with fifteen years at the company provided a personal account of her struggles. She stated “When my son was diagnosed with autism, he needed therapy to help with his development; but even with my Disney health insurance, I was facing almost $2,000 in copays every month.” She added “I couldn’t afford that. I believe our families deserve healthcare we can actually afford.”
Matt Hollis President of the Service Trades Council Unions and National Vice President of TCU/IAM offered his perspective on the situation and noted the scale of forty five thousand unionized workers. He said “Florida needs more politicians who aren’t on Walt Disney’s payroll, and aren’t afraid to stand up to them.” He continued “The reality is that Disney works in Orlando because we do; 45,000 unionized Floridians make that magic happen every day, and they deserve better than having their health insurance ripped away from their families. We applaud Angie Nixon for being the only Senate candidate with the integrity and moral fiber to stand up to Disney and stand by working people.”
