Disney World Firefighter Union Leader Says "We Just Shot Ourselves in the Foot" Over Contract Battles

One thing that you may not know about Disney World is that they have their very own fire department known as the Reedy Creek Fire Department.

We’ve seen the department responding to emergencies inside the Disney World parks including when a fire broke out near Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom. With the shifts going on at The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (formerly known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District) firefighters have been impacted and now so has their recently approved contract.

200 firefighters and first responders recently approved a new three-year contract that would raise the base annual pay from $55,000 to $65,000 and guarantee up to three dozen new hires. This comes after staffing complaints following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now, despite overwhelming approval, the contract negotiations have reopened.

Reedy Creek Fire Marshal Sign in Disney World

According to the Orlando Sentinel, Board spokesperson Alexei Woltornist said negotiations with the union were continuing with no explanation why. “Administrator [Glenton] Gilzean is actively working with the fire department to finalize a deal that offers a competitive compensation package and gives firefighters the resources they need to protect the public,” said Woltornist.

The old contract expired four years ago and the firefighters declared an impasse in 2022 with the old District Board.

A vote on this new contract was originally set for a Central Florida Tourism Oversight District meeting last month, but it was never brought up. It also did not appear on the agenda released for the next upcoming meeting.

Jon Shirey, leader of the firefighters’ union, has attended several meetings since the DeSantis-appointed Board took over and has praised the group for visiting firefighters at their stations around Disney World property. Shirey viewed this shift as “an opportunity for a fresh start” after years of disagreements with the previous Board.

Following the reopening of these contract negotiations, Shirey sent a message to the union members according to Florida Politics — “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.”