Lyft drivers in and around Walt Disney World are expected to entertain their passengers as they cruise around WDW in what are known as “Minnie Vans,” named after Minnie Mouse. And now these drivers can be represented by a union.
A regional director of the National Labor Relations Board last week ruled about 60 drivers who pick up Disney World guests using the Lyft app can be represented by the Teamsters local in Orlando. The Lyft drivers are Disney World employees who earn extra money by driving guests around the resort.
Disney had argued that the Lyft driver jobs couldn’t be covered by a union since the Teamsters waived their right to represent any workers not mentioned in its five-year contract.
But regional NLRB director David Cohen wrote in his decision last week that the waiver doesn’t apply to the “Minnie Van” drivers since the Lyft job didn’t exist when the contract was negotiated.
The “Minnie Van” drivers are paid anywhere from $13 to $21 an hour. They get two weeks of training in which they are instructed to tell stories to their passengers, advise them about things to do at Walt Disney World and help resolve any problems the Disney guests may encounter.