Orlando, Fla. – A tussle between two workers in the hippo pond at Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom early Thursday morning ended with one man doused in gasoline and the other in jail, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
The two men, employees of a Disney contractor, got into an argument while cleaning the pond about 3 a.m. One of the workers, Stephen Kim, threw gas on the other man and struck a lighter at a distance, said sheriff’s Cmdr. Lester Allen. The victim, who was not identified, backed away, prompting Kim to drop the lighter and pick up a shovel, Allen said.
The victim fled and called the sheriff’s department for help. He was not injured. Kim, 34, of Melbourne, Fla., was booked into Orange County Jail on an aggravated-assault charge.
A union official who represents some Disney World employees was quick to charge Thursday that the Animal Kingdom incident could be an example of why the unions are challenging Disney World’s recent efforts to turn over cleaning jobs, and other jobs, to outside contractors.
Disney World unions have charged that the company’s outsourcing efforts risk eroding worker quality at Disney World. Disney World has argued that it needs to subcontract work in some areas for efficiency. Disney says less than 1 percent of the company’s 60,000 jobs have gone to outside contractors.
