Union: Orlando tourism workers need $18 an hour to survive
Workers in central Florida’s tourism industry are pushing to raise their minimum wage to at least $18 an hour, arguing that rising rents and inflation have cut into their ability to make ends meet
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Workers in central Florida’s tourism industry are pushing to raise their minimum wage to at least $18 an hour, arguing that rising rents and inflation have cut into their ability to make ends meet.
Unite Here Local 737 released a report Thursday saying that an adult worker with no dependents would need to earn $18.19 an hour to make a living wage, while a family with two children would need both parents earning $23.91 an hour for a living wage.
Local 737 is part of a coalition of other unions currently negotiating a new, five-year contract for service workers at Walt Disney World, central Florida’s largest employer. Local 737 also is in the middle of contract negotiations with Sodexo, a food services and facilities management company, at the Orange County Convention Center.
In both cases, the union is proposing an $18 an hour minimum wage effective in the first year of the contract.
