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A union representing Walt Disney World employees wants its members to be vaccinated.
Unite Here 362, which represents thousands of Disney World employees, is asking Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to include hospitality workers on the list of essential state employees who are eligible for the coronavirus vaccine.
On Thursday, the union posted a statement on Twitter, saying, “If the hospitality industry is essential to our economy, so are we!”
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“Whether it is cooking or serving food at airports, cleaning toilets at Theme Parks or carrying visitors in and out of attractions, these are just some of the tasks that expose hospitality workers to COVID-19,” the statement said, in part . “In many cases, hotel employees contact thousands of tourists on a daily basis.”
The union said that, as DeSantis said the tourism industry is “essential to Florida’s economy”, people working in that industry should also be considered essential.
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“Although Disney and other employers have health and safety practices in place, there is no protection provided by the state of Florida,” said the union, in part. “The least that the State of Florida could do is expand the vaccine’s eligibility to hospitality workers.”
A union representing thousands of Disney World employees is asking Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to allow hospital employees to receive the coronavirus vaccine. (iStock)
“We need Governor DeSantis to step in and ensure that eligibility is expanded to all hospital workers in Central Florida, regardless of their county of residence,” added the union later.
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Unite Here 362 also conducted a Press conference Friday, calling DeSantis to allow hospital employees to get the vaccine. The members held up signs that read “We need our doses and we need them now” and “Don’t throw our doses away”.
DeSantis’ office did not immediately respond to FOX Business’s request for comment on Saturday.
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According to Orlando Sentinel, Florida will begin allowing people aged 50 and over across the state to get the vaccine starting on Monday.
The Orange County Convention Center will begin allowing people aged 40 and over to have the vaccine on Monday, the newspaper reported. The center also allows firefighters, teachers and police officers to get the vaccine, but not hospitality workers, according to Sentinel.
And while much of Disney World is located in Orange County, parts of the resort are also in Osceola County.
Disney World did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Unite Here 362 represents about 8,000 Disney World workers who are escorts, caretakers and vacation planners, according to the union’s website.
Disney World reopened in July, after being closed for several months due to the pandemic.
With the reopening of the park, new health and safety measures were implemented, including mandatory masks and social distance, temperature checks and advance reservations.
| Ticker | Safety | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DIS | THE WALT DISNEY CO. | 191.09 | -1.17 | -0.61% |