Firefighters Want End to Ban on Picketing

Jeff Mandel, the managing partner of the Orlando office, was quoted in the May 20 Orlando Sentinel article, "Reedy Creek Firefighters Want End to Ban on Picketing." The article reported that the Reedy Creek Fire Fighters Association, currently locked in a contract dispute with district administrators, is trying to overturn a provision in their contract that prohibits them from picketing anywhere in or near the district - and, by extension, anywhere in or near Disney World. The restriction was negotiated into the labor agreement more than 35 years ago, after firefighters staged a protest along the road leading into Disney's Magic Kingdom theme park. Jeff said: "Picketing is really a private-sector approach towards labor negotiations." Such public demonstrations are usually a way to exert "economic pressure" on an employer by making customers avoid purchasing their goods or services.