Worlds of Fun Maintenance Workers Hold Press Conference to Discuss YES Strike Authorization Vote and Ongoing Contract Negotiations

KANSAS CITY, MO — Today, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1 maintenance working people who ensure guest satisfaction and safety at Worlds of Fun, Oceans of Fun, and Worlds of Fun Village held a press conference to discuss their recent YES vote on a Strike Authorization amid ongoing contract negotiations that began November of 2023, and accusations of multiple violations of federal labor law by Worlds of Fun management. 

The YES vote confirmed Local 1 members’ willingness to go on strike if the bargaining committee determines that’s what it takes to win a fair contract.

Local 1 members have met with management over three dozen times in an effort to come to a fair contract agreement that addresses understaffing issues that workers believe have led to problems at the park, but Worlds of Fun management and Six Flags corporate leadership have refused to negotiate on this issue. Local 1 maintenance working people who ensure guest satisfaction and safety at Worlds of Fun, Oceans of Fun, and Worlds of Fun Village voted to authorize a strike in order to help bring these negotiations to a timely close. 

Currently, there are three management demands that are blocking Local 1 members from coming to agreement:

• Worlds of Fun management has demanded the right to subcontract union work effectively at will - even though subcontractors are paid up to three times more than the wages that Local 1 members are asking for.

• Worlds of Fun management has demanded that employees reduce the scope of their work and eliminate entire classifications, which would then be performed by other non-Union Worlds of Fun workers on-site.

• Worlds of Fun management has demanded that Local 1 members accept a two-tier contract with less-than-inflation raises for existing workers and significant pay cuts for incoming workers.

Additionally, there are two Unfair Labor Practice charges that could also be resolved at the table, including one charge of bad faith bargaining related to the signed agreement on retroactive pay from February, which Worlds of Fun management and Six Flags corporate leadership are now backtracking on.

SEIU Local 1 members feel that these management demands are classic Union-busting tactics, despite record profits. Worlds of Fun is owned by Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, which merged with Cedar Fair L.P. in July. Local 1 workers are hoping to come to an agreement with Worlds of Fun management on Thursday, but believe that direct action may be necessary.

"In my 30+ years of experience, I have built everything from family homes to cancer treatment centers," said Kyle Wedlock, Lead Carpenter at Worlds of Fun. "Now I like to say that I’m building fun. But it’s not fun when we can’t open rides on time due to understaffing and when rides go down for so-called emergency repairs on issues that we attempted to address during the off-season, but were blocked by management. If there’s one takeaway that you leave here with, it is that the issues that are affecting guests are not caused by our maintenance team or by a lack of money - it’s corporate greed."

“We’re losing the most experienced people because of pay and they’re not being replaced because management doesn’t believe that we’re understaffed,” said Jason Proudfit, Ride Mechanic at Worlds of Fun. “When we made proposals to address pay and understaffing, Worlds of Fun management and suits from Six Flags corporate told us to our faces that they could absolutely afford all of our proposals - they just don’t want to. They said it’s a ‘business decision’ and that it was ‘not personal’. But it is personal to every single one of us and our families. And it is personal to every single guest that comes through the door.”

“As a mom to three and season pass holder, there is nothing more important for our family and all families visiting Worlds of Fun than our safety. It is for this reason that I implore Worlds of Fun and Six Flags Entertainment Company to come to a fair agreement with the maintenance workers of SEIU Local 1,” said 15th District State Representative Maggie Nurrenbern. “I am proud to stand in solidarity with SEIU Local 1 members demanding safe and fair working conditions, so that all of us can continue to safely enjoy the fun and entertainment that Worlds of Fun provides for our city and region.”

“Missouri’s working families deserve fair pay, proper benefits, and respect. That includes ensuring working people are not concerned their jobs will be taken from them because of subcontracting,” said Chris Rak, SEIU Local 1 Director for Missouri and Southern Illinois. “Local 1 members at Worlds of Fun know what they deserve, and are willing to do what it takes to win a fair contract – including going on strike.