Maintenance workers at Worlds of Fun voted Thursday to authorize a strike following months of stalled negotiations toward a new contract with the park’s management company.
All of the maintenance workers at the Kansas City amusement park section of Worlds of Fun, as well as the workers at Oceans of Fun water park and Worlds of Fun Village, are unionized with Service Employees International Union Local 1, union rep Luisangel Rodriguez said.
SEIU Local 1 declined to share how many workers voted in favor of the strike.
Rodriguez described the amusement park’s maintenance team as “completely understaffed.”
“The group is generally about 80 people, but as of now, it’s nowhere near that,” Rodriguez said.
Along with conducting testing and doing general upkeep across Worlds of Fun’s 235 acres, maintenance workers at the park are responsible for building and repairing the park’s 100-plus rides, including seven roller coasters, 40 water slides and 21 childrens’ rides.
During the offseason from January to April — when the park is closed — workers run specialized checks on each ride to make sure it still meets industry standards, a process that can take several weeks, according to a 2020 blog by Worlds of Fun staff. Maintenance workers are also tasked with swapping out parts on some rides and repainting or relighting others.
Worlds of Fun management was not immediately available for comment Thursday night.
The workers’ last contract expired on Feb. 29, according to SEIU Local 1. In a Thursday news release, the union said that workers have met with park management more than three dozen times in pursuit of a new contract.
“It is Local 1’s hope that we can come to an agreement, but members have spoken loud and clear about what will happen if we don’t,” said Chris Rak, SEIU Local 1 Director for Missouri and Southern Illinois.
Contract negotiations between maintenance workers and Worlds of Fun have been going on for nearly a year, the union wrote in Thursday’s release. In early conversations, workers said management agreed to demands around retroactive pay for work already completed, but have since backtracked, according to SEIU.
Safety issues are one primary driver of the potential strike, with workers claiming that Worlds of Fun administrators are not ordering replacement parts in a timely manner when workers find broken pieces while checking on rides.
Some workers feel that delays in parts replacements, along with understaffing, have led to more rides breaking down in the past several months, according to the news release.
Workers have proposed installing more crosswalks and road signs in the Worlds of Fun parking lots, along with more shade structures and water misters outside of rides with long lines.
“During the 2024 season, the park and guests experienced multiple issues that would’ve been less likely to happen if the park was properly staffed,” Worlds of Fun Lead Carpenter Kyle Wedlock said in the news release. “We are trying to handle these issues at the bargaining table, but if that isn’t enough, we are ready for direct action.”
Workers also say that the park’s new management have at times required ride mechanics and electricians to do each other’s work without the respective proper training, according to the release.
They also said they are not being paid a fair wage, according to the union.
“It’s unfortunate that management refuses to offer fair wages,” said Gary Sellars, who has worked as a painter at Worlds of Fun for five years. “Even though they can clearly afford it.”
Worlds of Fun parent company Cedar Fair merged with Six Flags earlier this year, but changes to the park’s brand identity and attractions were minimal.
No definitive strike plans have been announced. However, the park’s maintenance workers plan to hold a rally outside Worlds of Fun on Tuesday in preparation for potential future actions.
Meanwhile, SEIU Local 1 has filed charges against Worlds of Fun and its parent company alleging violations of federal labor law, saying management has bargained in bad faith during ongoing contract negotiations.
The amusement and water park recently came under fire after a park employee allegedly instructed Hadil Alqarini, a Muslim woman from Blue Springs, to remove her hijab before riding a roller coaster in September. The employee removed Alqarini from the ride when she declined, Alqarini told The Star in September.
Reporting by The Star’s PJ Green contributed to this article.
EMEA Tribune is not involved in this news article, it is taken from our partners and or from the News Agencies. Copyright and Credit go to the News Agencies, email news@emeatribune.com Follow our WhatsApp verified Channel
