Workers at EPCOT’s Italy Pavilion restaurants recently scored a victory after an arbitrator ruled that the Patina Restaurant Group violated their rights by trying to ban them from wearing union buttons on shift. This ruling allows Disney workers at Tutto Italia, Tutto Gusto, and Via Napoli to wear buttons indicating their affiliation with UNITE HERE Local 737, the union representing them. This win highlights the legally protected rights of workers in their ongoing fight for better conditions.
Management Tried to Shut It Down Immediately
The very next day after workers started wearing the buttons, management instructed them to remove the buttons, or else they would be sent home, which is honestly a pretty aggressive response to workers wearing small buttons showing their union membership. The directive created immediate conflict between the company and unionized staff who viewed this as management trying to suppress their fundamental right to display union membership through small insignia on their uniforms.
A neutral arbitrator involved in the ongoing dispute has now ruled that the Patina Group’s demand to remove the buttons violated both the workers’ union contract and the National Labor Relations Act, which protects workers’ rights to engage in union activities and display union insignia in most workplace settings. This is a pretty clear-cut violation of federal labor law, which is why the arbitrator sided with the workers.
What These Disney Workers Actually Said
Tutto Italia server and union leader Giandomenico Cardellini responded to the arbitrator’s decision by stating that wearing the union button is a fundamental right as a worker, emphasizing that Patina Group workers in the Italy Pavilion stick together and that he will proudly put his union button back on. The quote really captures what this is about: workers asserting their rights to show solidarity with each other through visible union affiliation.
This Is Part of a Way Bigger Disney Fight
The button dispute is just one aspect of a larger conflict between Patina Restaurant Group and its unionized workers at EPCOT, which has been escalating since late 2025. Workers from Tutto Italia, Tutto Gusto, and Via Napoli are seeking improvements, including $8 raises over three years, free family health insurance, a better pension, and a 20 percent automatic gratuity.
In December 2025, supporters of UNITE HERE Local 737 held a rally demanding better conditions and a fair process for organizing at nonunion Patina restaurants at Disney Springs. Workers nearly went on strike in October 2025, which could have disrupted EPCOT’s busy Food & Wine Festival season. Although the strike was averted through legal maneuvers, workers claim they faced intimidation and suppression tactics by management during negotiations.
Politicians Are Getting Involved
This labor dispute has drawn serious attention from Central Florida Democrats, including U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost and State Representative Anna Eskamani, who have officially called on The Walt Disney Company to launch a formal investigation into the business practices of its third-party vendors. The scrutiny focuses on disturbing allegations regarding working conditions, fair wages, and the right to organize at restaurants operated by Patina Restaurant Group, a subsidiary of global hospitality giant Delaware North.
For Disney, this creates a really uncomfortable position because intervening risks upsetting a lucrative partnership with Delaware North, while staying silent risks appearing complicit in what politicians are describing as union-busting tactics. The lines blur in the eyes of guests who view Tutto Italia as a Disney restaurant, regardless of the corporate ownership structure behind the scenes.
Negotiations at Disney Continue March 25
The union of Patina Group employees at the Italy Pavilion will continue their negotiations on March 25, 2026, when workers and management return to the bargaining table to discuss the contract demands. The arbitrator’s ruling in favor of workers’ right to wear union buttons potentially strengthens the union’s negotiating position by establishing that workers’ legally protected rights will be enforced.
The Patina Restaurant Group has defended its practices, stating it provides competitive wages and values employees, but the volume of complaints and high-profile political intervention suggests this isn’t going away anytime soon.
