The Service Trades Council, which claims to represent about 25,000 Disney cast members, has been in negotiation with the Disney bigwigs over pay increases since June. Although Disney officials have offered three-percent wage increases, the union members have rejected the offer. Reasons have ranged that the increase isn't good enough in face of the current recession to working long hours with small benefits.
Curious viewers can watch the documentary's trailer on YouTube which include testimonials from cast members.
One man, David, complains that he has worked there three years and is still making under $8 an hour. A glance at the comments section of the YouTube video seem to collect a number of angry people who know of Disney's practices and are thrilled for the video's release.
Personally, I've worked for a theme park before and if you're at the bottom of the chain, long hours of repetitive tasks for minimum wage is the norm. I entered the park working $7.25/hr and left two years later at $7.73/hr. It's difficult to work for dung while maintaining the smiling image of the company... but like many other theme park employees, I didn't want to leave because the people you meet are priceless and having free admission to many other theme parks was awesome!
In this recession (and any jobless time) when people hold onto their money, anything travel-related is one of the first industries to struggle. Of course Disney was not spared and naturally its employees are feeling the squeeze. I'm all for better working conditions at theme parks but I highly doubt that Disney will be able to fully satisfy the union until the economy improves.
Here's more:
Bay News 9
WESH-TV
Orlando Sentinel
So I believe that Disney's workers deserve every dime that they can negotiate from Disney's management. And this film is a negotiating ploy.
Bravo, I say. As a theme park fan, I prefer that the union find negotiating leverage in any other avenue than a strike. That's be a horrible outcome for all involved.
That said, much of what park employees do is not high-value labor. You don't need beyond a basic education to do it, plus a few days of on-the-job training. (And I write this as a former theme park employee.) These jobs don't deserve to be compensated with mid-five-figure incomes. They are low-five-figure gigs.
Still, experience makes good theme park employees great ones - the one who can spot a problem (with a guest or equipment) before it happens and prevent it, saving the company thousands or millions of dollars. A theme park's median employee, ranked by time with the company, ought to have at least 24 months of experience. Less than that, the company has too much overturn and needs to raise wages. I don't know what that figure is for Walt Disney World these days, but I know that the figure had dropped to 12 months or less at Disneyland during the height of the housing bubble.
More money for Disney World cast members means more income for all business people in the Orlando area. Everyone in Orlando ought to be rooting for Disney cast member pay raises.
It is a terrific shame because Disney has the opportunity to be spectacular for cast members as well as guests.
I don't see the logic there. Hey, anyone who's fighting to get more money for me is on my side.
And in response to another post: Don't want to be treated like a peon by your employer? Join a union. Employers can afford to dismiss any single employee. They can't afford to dismiss an entire unionized workforce.
Well, most Americans hate what they do and don't think they're paid fairly.
Still, Disney should really pay them more than minimum. The employees clearly love the company more than the company loves them.
The CMs at WDW should receive annual increases based on performance, but they have to realize the job they are working is also done by college kids brought in each semester for even cheaper then what they make. How much are Union Dues that these people are paying each week?
Don't work there. A lot of those jobs are unskilled, meaning you get paid minimum wage or a little more. You have no right to a higher wage. Either leave or learn a trade.
Demanding more from Disney will produce many more problems - skyrocketing prices, hiring freezes and so forth. Just because Disney makes billions doesn't mean you deserve a piece of the pie. You get paid according to your utility. If you think you're being paid less than your utility...leave. Don't turn into a tyrant and force companies to pay what you think is right. You become no better than what you claim the big company of being and you destroy the free market (and that hurts everyone).
I can't stand such nonsense.
This is one of the many reasons why Chrysler and GM automobiles cost so much more than foreign counterparts (and their product was inferior to boot). It cost so much more to hire unionized employees and those costs were passed onto consumers in the form of an inferior product. While you can buy a Honda with a moon roof for $20,000, Chrysler had to nix the moon roof because it had to pay every worker $50 an hour more for the same work the Japanese counterparts were doing. Consumers paid the price in the form of an inferior product. Chrysler paid the ultimate price until we bailed them out. The same will happen with Disney.
Again, if you don't like it, don't work there. It's still America. You still have choices (albeit more limited right now). Heck, this is a great opportunity to go back to school.
I've taken plenty of econ classes in college and financial analysis classes in law school. I fully understand how pay increases affect final costs. Pay increases that thumb their nose at the free market never end well.
Total compensation package for the year 2009 $29,028,362.00
Front line WDW Cast member wage for 2009 $16,000
I don't believe that Iger is worth 1,699 times as much as the average WDW cast member.
http://people.forbes.com/profile/robert-a-iger/79382
I think alot of this boils down to the employment market in Central Florida. It's all about supply and demand. Since there aren't alot of options in Central Florida, WDW doesn't have to pay as much as, say DL in SoCal.
Supply and Demand relate DIRECTLY to Robert Iger's salary as well. How many people can manage the world's largest media company? Plus ALOT of his pay is tied to performance and is in stock options (which he still has to pay for, albeit at a discounted price).
Again, I want to say that Disney SHOULD pay their workers a premium if they want premium employees. What I have a problem with is the strong arm tactics that unions use to try and extort more money from companies.
And what REALLY irrates me is that people believe that unions are out for THEIR best interests. They are NOT! Unions AND companies are out for THEIR OWN best interests, not YOURS. Was the UAW looking out for the 1,000s of GM and Chrysler employees when they drove them to bankruptcy?!? Was the UAW looking out for the employees of Saturn when they worked their hardest to DESTORY that division?!? Was the union that I was FORCED to belong to at Disneyland looking out for me? HECK NO! But they sure were looking out for my union dues each month.
It is nice to see them put it in film, but this is an old problem.
So this brings up the question: would you rather want happiness or money. From what I have heard, most people LOVE working for Disney!
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As a first job, it's fine.
As a retiree job, supported by pension, it's fine
As a part time job, again, I can't say enough about it.
Working for $8.00 an hour as a full time job, working 50-60 hours a week... that has to take it's toll on people, and I saw it time and time again. People get burnt out doing this, and you can see the wear it places on them and their families. But they do it, because they love it, and there are few other places to work in the area.