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Credit: gardener41, FlickrA few weeks ago, Julie Ruize was passing out flyers to her fellow workers at Disney Springs. Her effort was part of UNITE HERE Local 737’s push to get non-union restaurant and store workers at Disney Springs to join their union.
UNITE HERE represents thousands of hotel and service workers at the Walt Disney World Resort, but getting the Disney Springs workers to unionize was more complicated. Despite being on Disney property, most Disney Springs restaurants and stores are independently operated by third-party vendors.
This meant that the union would have to organize and negotiate with dozens of vendors rather than just negotiating with Walt Disney World. However, that complication did not stop the workers at Disney Springs from unionizing.
Besides passing out flyers, Ruiz was a vocal proponent of unionization. She said the goal was to achieve higher wages and healthcare benefits than other employees at the Walt Disney World Resort currently have.
Ruiz said that she made $16 an hour working at Pizza Ponte and was basically homeless. She was saving for an apartment while living on a friend’s couch.
After Ruiz was seen handing out flyers, she was disciplined at work for wearing an earbud while walking into her job. Shortly after that incident, Ruize was suspended from her job, and ultimately, she was fired.
Ruiz claimed that while working at Pizza Ponte, she was sexually harassed by her supervisor, and despite her complaints to management, nothing was done. However, she was fired for wearing an earbud while walking into work. Ruiz said:
My supervisor wasn’t fired for sexual harassment, but one week after I passed out these [pro-union] flyers, I was fired for wearing an earbud. I’m not going to accept this treatment. I’m going to fight for myself and the women who work at Disney Springs.
Ruiz was joined at the local union hall by two dozen Disney Springs workers and Florida House Representative Anna Eskamani to call out her employer for ignoring the alleged sexual harassment and for allegedly firing Ruiz for attempting to organize her co-workers. Eskamani said:
I’m really just here to make sure that the Patina Group knows that our workers have the support of their elected officials here in Orlando, and that they’re not standing alone. As women, we’re not going to put up with this. This is unacceptable.
Pizza Presto, owned by the Patina Group, did not respond to Orlando Weekly’s request for comment.
Ruiz has started her search for a new job, but she does not think it will be at the Walt Disney World Resort. She is also still working to get restaurant and service workers at Disney Springs to unionize.