SeaWorld security want to form union

SeaWorld security guards are seeking to form the first union at the Orlando theme park.

First, they need an election date to vote on it.

The 65 security guards at the park are waiting for the National Labor Relations Board to schedule an election, a process that has been slowed down by the coronavirus pandemic, said David Hickey, president for SPFPA, or the International Union, Security, Police and Fire Professionals of America that would represent the SeaWorld employees.

“Right now, it’s just on hold,” Hickey said. “Our guys are strong. We’re looking forward to getting an election and let the chips fall where they may.”

NLRB spokesman Edwin Egee confirmed to the Orlando Sentinel no election date is on the books yet.

When reached for comment, SeaWorld spokeswoman Lori Cherry said in a statement, “Our security professionals are valued members of our team and vital to our park operations.”

With 12 parks across the country, SeaWorld Entertainment employed 4,300 fulltime employees and about 11,000 part-time employees throughout the entire company at the end of 2019.

On March 11, SPFPA filed a NLRB petition to represent the full-time and part-time security guards in collective bargaining.

Five days later, SeaWorld Orlando shut down from the coronavirus pandemic. The park reopened June 11 with limited crowds. Hickey said a skeleton crew of security guards are back to work.

The NLRB temporarily canceled union elections during the pandemic but has since allowed them to continue with mail-in ballots or socially distanced voting, depending on which part of the country they are occurring.

During the pandemic, SeaWorld Entertainment furloughed about 95% of its employees companywide while the theme parks were shut down. The company has also had unsteady leadership with the past two CEOs quitting within months, citing disagreements with the board of directors.

When asked what prompted the SeaWorld guards to organize, Hickey cited concerns over their pay, which starts at $11 an hour, a desire for seniority and wanting union protections so they are no longer at-will employees.

“They just want to be respected and earn a decent wage,” he said. “Officers get tired of not having a voice in their careers.”

SeaWorld employees are paid less than at Walt Disney World Resort, which is shifting starting wages to $15 an hour by October 2021.

“We regularly review our compensation rates and adjust them as needed to remain competitive in each market where we operate,” Cherry said, although the statement acknowledged that SeaWorld is aware of the pay concerns.

“Prior to COVID-19 and the filing of the union petition, we recognized the need to improve compensation for several parks including the SeaWorld Orlando security department. While wage adjustments have occurred, due to the filing of the union petition we are unable to improve these security officers’ wages as a matter of law,” Cherry said.

According to NLRB rules, employers are generally not allowed to making changes in wages, hours, working conditions, or other mandatory subjects of bargaining before negotiating with the union to agreement, Egee said, although he added there are exceptions, such as an annual wage increase that was already in place.

Hickey had said earlier he thought the company could still give the security guards raises after union petition was filed.

“The officers should have had those raises a long time ago,” he said.

Since the guards’ unionizing efforts became public, Hickey said the company has sought delays and has tried to persuade them they don’t need a union.

The SPFPA represents 250 locals and more 35,000 people including the security guards at Walt Disney World Resort and Kennedy Space Center.

Walt Disney World Resort has a heavily unionized workforce, unlike SeaWorld and Universal Orlando Resort.