Reedy Creek Improvement District
Following a two-and-a-half-year contract dispute, the Orlando Sentinel is reporting that the Reedy Creek Improvement District and its firefighters union may have reached an agreement. The Reedy Creek Improvement District provides emergency services to Walt Disney World and is primarily funded by Disney’s property taxes. It is essentially controlled by Walt Disney World which is the largest land-owner in the district.
Reedy Creek Improvement District Administrator John Classe announced at a board meeting Wednesday that the district and the firefighters union have reached a tentative agreement. The agreement still must still be voted on by the union members. If approved by the union, then the board of the district will approve the contract next month.
The union’s members must vote on it. The board of the Disney-controlled Reedy Creek district would then approve the contract in March.
According to the Sentinel, Reedy Creek Firefighters Association president Tim Stromsnes said that the firefighters got “96 percent of what I asked for.” The district would not comment on the terms of the deal.
Due to the agreement, the union is dropping plans for pushing for legislation that would have made magistrates’ decisions binding in Reedy Creek union disputes. Last year the magistrate sided with the union on many terms.
According to the union, most employees will receive a 4.7% raise and a bonus of $5,000 to compensate for the lack of raises during the dispute. The union did not get two items they were seeking. Emergency workers at the parks will not receive the same pay as dispatchers. The district will also not be obligated to pay 90% of health insurance costs. The union and the district will work together to review health insurance options with the union having increased input.
The district will also provide money for a specialized type of body scan the firefighters had wanted but it will not be done by the district directly.