The leader for the firefighter union of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District provided more insight on what the hold up is for a contract that had already been approved by firefighters. This comes after the new administrator for the district reopened contract negotiations with the firefighters union. According to union leader Jon Shirey, the cause is other public officials complaining to the district’s new administrator Glen Gilzean about the contract. Because of this, the contract is not being taken up in this week’s board meeting for the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.
The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, formerly the Reedy Creek Improvement District, is where most of Walt Disney World Resort is found. The firefighters support the Walt Disney World Resort, some local businesses, and a couple of very small communities that are all found within the district.
In an email to members, Shirey said, “We just shot ourselves in the foot to the tune of millions of dollars that this agreement would have put into the pockets of our members.” Florida Politics obtained the email as the Associated Press was reporting on the reopening of negotiations. This came after a swift negotiation process between the firefighter union and the district’s former administration that led to an agreement that was approved by union members overwhelmingly. If it had been also approved by the board, it would have seen annual starting pay for firefighters increase to $65,000, up from $55,000. It would also have seen the hiring of three dozen more firefighters and paramedics.
The problem, Shirey complained, was that union members shared their new contract on social media and also leaked it to “every outlet they could find.” This led to pressure being put on Gilzean.
“This contract got into the hands of city and county leaders across the state of Florida,” Shirey wrote. “Glen had been receiving calls left and right yelling at him that he couldn’t sign this agreement, and how it was going to screw all of the taxpayers in those areas bc they would have to raise taxes just to be able to recruit and stay even somewhat competitive with the new market.”
Shirey continued saying, “If/when we come to some new agreement, don’t share it with your family, your friends, members of other departments, and definitely not randomly out on social media. DO NOT SHARE IT WITH ANYONE!!!!”
Shirey also added that it was unknown when a new contract would be negotiated between the union and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. “I know it won’t be in June and we would be lucky to have it done by the July board meeting.”
The hiccup in the negotiation process for this contract came after what seemed like smooth sailing for those on both sides of the negotiating table. This was in contrast to what had transpired previously between the firefighters union and the Reedy Creek Improvement District. The union had argued that they were underpaid and understaffed and deserved more, both in terms of pay and in terms of staffing.
At this point it appears that the negotiations are back at square one and there is no timeline for how things will move forward with them. On Wednesday July 21, 2023, the board for the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District will be meeting once again. This topic is not on the agenda but Daps Magic will be watching to see if there are any surprise developments on the matter.
