On the heels of a report that a tentative agreement had been reached, we are now learning more about the specific details of a labor agreement between the Reedy Creek Fire Department and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight Board.
What’s Happening:
- Recently, we reported that after four years of stagnancy, a labor agreement was reached between the Reedy Creek Fire Department and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight Board, who inherited the proceedings from the Reedy Creek Improvement District. Yesterday, we learned more of the specifics with the agreement.
- The proposed contract increases staffing at the Reedy Creek Fire Department, addressing what was a longstanding safety concern for the union, as well as including a significant boost to the pay and benefits that firefighters in the district will receive.
- The agreement will add approximately 50 firefighter and paramedic positions to the RCFD within a year, increasing the roughly 200-person agency’s staffing by 25%.
- As more first responders are hired, the FD has promised to also increase the number of staff on shift at any time, better equipping the RCFD to respond to emergencies across the Walt Disney World property.
- The proposal also creates a dedicated special ops team for handling evacuations of Disney transportation and ride systems, when they break down and necessitate such procedures. Currently, the cross-staffing structure means firefighters could be pulled from one assignment to aid in these procedures, presenting potential delays in response times.
- The agreement also calls for an increase in pay for the first responders, increasing the starting pay by about $10,000 annually, according to Reedy Creek Professional Firefighters President Jon Shirey. While he didn’t discuss specifics, a job posting from Mid-April advertises a $55,000 annual salary for firefighters and paramedics.
- The current board was reportedly not present during bargaining meetings, but did make it a priority to hear both the district and union’s concerns. Because of this, they reached a tentative agreement on all 44 articles of the contract in less than two weeks.
- Members of the union are set to vote on the contract the week of May 15th, and if the agreement is approved, it will arrive in front of the board on May 24th for ratification.
- Shirey has also reportedly said that some members are concerned that Disney’s lawsuit against Florida Governor Ron DeStanis and the board, as well as a likely countersight from the board, over development agreements could affect the new contract’s approval, saying “to have a setback like that would be pretty devastating for our members.”
What They’re Saying:
- Reedy Creek Professional Firefighters President Jon Shirey: “With the feud between Disney and the board, and with the governor, I think that there was a little extra incentive for the board to want to get this thing off their plate… The other big difference is that this new board isn’t a single-interest board like they were before.”
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