ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando’s tourism workers, long among the lowest paid in the region’s economy, must earn at least $18 per hour to meet basic needs, a hospitality industry union argues in a report released Thursday.
The report by Unite Here Local 737 found that 69% of hospitality staff surveyed at five Orlando employers, including Walt Disney World, struggled to pay their rent or mortgage each month and 39% worried about becoming homeless.
In addition, 45% said they skipped meals and 25% went without prescribed medicine because of the costs, and 62% said they had less than $100 in savings.
