I am speechless

[KingofSwing3000]

But this is just like any large corporation, there is always going to be people who feel they are miss treated and under paid when the company as a whole makes soo much money. But I would still love to work there.[/QUOTE]

I'm a Disney-phile. I was a '01 CP and I tell people that it was one of the worst experiences of my life; that I never thought I would go back to Disney. But that's because when I did it 10 years ago I was pitched the pixie dust and the magic when the reps came to campus. So when I got there and saw the... harsh reality like my roomie selling drugs in my room and seeing why they calld it "Vista Lay", well... it was tough. Now, I tell future CPers just prepare to work your butt off, that it is going to be like college (read: debauchery) on steroids, but -- make it work for you. Talk to your managers. Shadow. Budget. It's a business. And any business has its ups and dows. Disney isn't perfect and I personally wouldn't work there because, yes, the pay is low, but Universal has low pay as do alot of central Florida locations. It's not necessarily "right" but it's life. There are oppurtunities to be had. Even at Disney. You just have to hunker down sometimes and go get 'em.

 

[larryz]

Running a company like Disney is a fine balancing act between employee pay and customer pricing.

Thank you for not saying "costumer pricing," although, on second thought, that might be one of the only legitimate uses of that misspelling...

 

[eliza61]

And thats Disney's problem how Eliza??? My point is don't complain about the terms of employment you have, you don't get the luxury of setting your own terms.

Well you can I guess set your own terms by finding a job that abides by them. That's my point.

Clearly you swing from the left side of the plate...but I will agree with one of your points. College tuition is stupidly high.

Actually I very conservative gal (Im registered independant) but the problem is everyone is thinking "its not my problem" and uwgrad, let me tell you, it most definitely effects you.

So, lets look at JQ disney employee. he does not make a decent salary and he doesn't have health insurance. Do you think he never gets sick? Do you know how indigent care works in most states? Just in case you don't, here is a brief (and there are some exceptions) rundown for about 30 states. This is very simplistic but most states have some variation of it. I learned this from doing some work for the Pew foundation during the health care debate.

Joe Q, Disney gets sick with no health care but makes too much for medicare so he generally waits until its super serious and goes to ER. Now most hospitals even if they are non profit are not allowed legally to operate year after year in the red. So the hospital goes to the state of Florida and says, hey look we took care of 20 million dollars worth of uninsured people we need you to reimburse us. State of Florida ponies up the money and where does that money come from? generally 2 places, #1 surcharges on things consumers pay for, like dmv fees and secondly a pool of cash insurance companies have to donate to. Where do insurance companies get the cash? yep you got it, from you and me.

So in reality, all disney has to worry about is its stockholder but you foot the bill twice, once from your insurance agent and then from those state fees you pay on stuff.


We are so busy screaming socialism that we don't even recognized that with more and more people sliding into poverty and sorry not all of them are lazy bums, we already are a socialist system.

So I totally agree Disney has the right to pay what it wants and compensate it's employees accordingly but please don't be fooled that tinkerbell comes flying out of the castle and makes all these problems disappear. She does not. So if you live in Orlando and 45% of your working population is uninsured call your representative and ask exactly who foots the bill and how if effects you. this is not an endorsement for any type of health program just some pretty basic facts that hopefully get folks to ask, what's going to happen when we have an entire nation of "walmart style workers"

 

[larryz]

We are so busy screaming socialism that we don't even recognized that with more and more people sliding into poverty and sorry not all of them are lazy bums, we already are a socialist system.

I'm sure you're not arguing that for-profit hospitals should be able to turn away uninsured or indigent people simply based on not being able to pay...

At the end of the day, however, there's an agreement between the employer and the employee. Either one can simply walk away if they're not satisfied with the performance of the other.

If people are not qualified for anything other than sweeping sidewalks at the MK, or serving up food at Cosmic Ray's, then they can't really leverage their desire for more money or better benefits.

The answer, my friend, is for that disgruntled worker to get better education in a field where there IS opportunity. Use the subsistence wages Disney pays to stay alive while getting that education.

That, or make yourself so invaluable to Disney that they move you up their internal ladder.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) The film has it valid points.
2) But, remember that it is a Union film while bargaining.
3) I do not argue with the points specified.
4) But,
. . . Florida is a lower-wage state, especially for unskilled positions
. . . Orlando is a tourist-based low-wage area for unskilled positions *
. . . many WDW unskilled classifications do not make an "acceptable" wage
. . . many WDW skilled classifications can make an "acceptable" wage
5) The only solutions
. . . move from unskilled WDW classifications to more skilled jobs
. . . go to an employer and job class that is not tourism-based

* Unskilled jobs in even non-Florida locations do not make "acceptable"
wages. ("Acceptable" meaning the job can be the sole support of a single
person or 2-person family.) Any amusement park or other tourist attraction
pays low-wages. And, most unskilled hourly jobs at WDW will never pay
enough wages to support one's self or a small family. Simple, indisputable fact.

 

[eliza61]

I'm sure you're not arguing that for-profit hospitals should be able to turn away uninsured or indigent people simply based on not being able to pay...

At the end of the day, however, there's an agreement between the employer and the employee. Either one can simply walk away if they're not satisfied with the performance of the other.

If people are not qualified for anything other than sweeping sidewalks at the MK, or serving up food at Cosmic Ray's, then they can't really leverage their desire for more money or better benefits.

The answer, my friend, is for that disgruntled worker to get better education in a field where there IS opportunity. Use the subsistence wages Disney pays to stay alive while getting that education.

That, or make yourself so invaluable to Disney that they move you up their internal ladder.

No, not at all. I am not arguing either/or. What I do want us to do is to stop thinking "this does not effect me".

Because it does very much effect everyone. Now I don't work at disney so I can't answer to how to move up the corporate ladder, I'm a researcher larry and with almost 13 million folks unemployed and a gazillon more underemployed can we keep saying...."thats the disgruntled workers fault"

I am offering no solutions what soever.

 

[JCH]

If people are not qualified for anything other than sweeping sidewalks at the MK, or serving up food at Cosmic Ray's, then they can't really leverage their desire for more money or better benefits.

The answer, my friend, is for that disgruntled worker to get better education in a field where there IS opportunity. Use the subsistence wages Disney pays to stay alive while getting that education.

That, or make yourself so invaluable to Disney that they move you up their internal ladder.

Agreed! I am a middle school teacher and have conversations with my kids all the time about learning a skill. Not everyone is academic, and not everyone needs to go to college. However, if you know how to fix a car, cut hair, do electrical work, fix clogged toilets, do medical billing, groom dogs, the list goes on and on, you will find a respectable job, be a valuable member of society, and be able to have a good life. All of these things take some form of education whether it be vocational or higher level.

However, there will always be a lot of people with no skills. The supply of jobs for those individuals is low for the number of people who are only qualified for them. We have a minimum wage to protect those individuals from being slave labor, and cannot fault a company for paying those wages. It's supply and demand capitalism. If we were to bring back entry level manufacturing jobs to the US, we would see that change.

 

[GreenCntryGirl]

When I worked at Target, one of my co-workers was a former manager of The Disney Store. She told me that Disney has a mindset that you should be honored to work for them and that the wages are not great. (Mind you, there was NO Disney bashing on her part! This was just her perception.)

Another manager at that store has a niece who works at WDW as a face character and he said she absolutely loves it. I forget how long she's worked there but it has been at least a couple of years.

Truth to tell, I felt that Target was the same way. You are supposed to feel lucky you got to work for them and thankful for the perks they give you. I saw people get a yearly $0.02 raise. Generally speaking, your average team member got a maximum of a $0.25 yearly raise. Didn't bother me because I liked working for Target.

As far as low unemployment, I know our manufacturing companies in this area are constantly hiring. I don't understand why anyone is out of work here. Problem around here is that too many people turn their nose up at what is available.

 

[GirlDreamer]

I must admit that I have a little problem with believing this video for the following reasons:

1. If the CMs situations were that bad, why would they put their faces on a film, where the Disney company could see them and then risk loosing their jobs for talking so bad about their employer?

2. I've worked in amusement parks in 3 different countries now, and I can tell you, the pay is lousy in ALL parks. But it is possible to have a decent life on it if you know how to budget on it. Heck, I'm even going on holiday to WDW from UK on the pay I've got.

3. Disney does care of CM safety, even with the small things. I worked in a restaurant in WDW and it happened from time to time that a guest would throw up at their table. To clean it up we had to call custodial, which sometimes could be a bit of a wait. So we would beg our managers to allow us to just clean it up ourselves. They never allowed it. Why? Because we weren't trained in using the powder they put on the sick before they clean it up.

4. If the employer is treating you so badly, you always have the option of leaving. If you can find a second job, why not make it your full time job? And as PPs have said, you can't get a great pay if you don't have a decent education. And Disney offers FREE classes at Disney University for all the CMs + they have learning centers with a lot of great literature to improve on different skills. They also have courses in how to make a great CV and how to do a good job interview and so on.

 

[Sammie]

I am sorry this shocks you, but a lot of companies pay no better than Disney. Start asking the people you deal with on a daily basis what they make, it will shock you too.

 

[alliejay]

The answer, my friend, is for that disgruntled worker to get better education in a field where there IS opportunity. Use the subsistence wages Disney pays to stay alive while getting that education.

That, or make yourself so invaluable to Disney that they move you up their internal ladder.

Sorry, but you cannot go to college and live independently on minimum wage these days. Especially if you have a child. I grew up really poor and worked my butt off to get an education. My parents maybe gave me $1000 for actual college costs. However, I was able to live at home while in college and after graduation - rent free. My parent's provided my food and helped me with clothing, etc. Not everyone has a family to lean on and things are very different than when I went to college 20-odd years ago. College costs are sky-high and becoming unattainable. If you do not even make enough money to buy food, how on earth do you get money to go to college?

 

[xbonnie38]

Im sorry and blast me for this,,, But really Cry me a River people, first of all alot of the cast members are in the college program and yes make min wage ,,,from that they get there housing deducted and what is left is there's ,is it alot no , how do I know my daughter was in it, did she like it She Loved Working for Disney and would go back in a heart beat. With that being said, um Hello people complaining about the insurance you have to pay, I lost my job , my medical ,and dental insurance a year ago, have I found a job No, I went Back to College to get a better paying job and skills , can I say this yes I can I was an unskilled laborer working maintenance in a school, so do I cry about the fact I cant go to a doctor ,why it wont do me any good. You want a Union in Disney , I was the Vice President of our Union, oh sure they will go to bat for wages and sick pay and time off, but let me tell you first hand the new hires still got paid more than the people who have been there for years and why because idiots negotiated the contracts and basically once the doors are shut to negotiations and a mediator is brought in what you wanted and what your union people get for you are two different things. But Joe Schmoe who gets paid more than you and does a whole heck of a lot less work and gets away with it because as I learned first hand Union's let DEAD WEIGHT EMPLOYEES have job security because it is very hard to fire a union person ,,so all in all,,, you have a job and cant make your bills or medicines or buy food ,,,,sorry shut the heck up and better yourselves , thats the problem with our country we are a nation of complainers when we use to be a nation of go getters. Disney is what it is that's why they are successful and why we pay so much to go there , your unhappy working there leave simple as that.
I am now off my soap box!

 

[JCH]

Sorry, but you cannot go to college and live independently on minimum wage these days. Especially if you have a child. I grew up really poor and worked my butt off to get an education. My parents maybe gave me $1000 for actual college costs. However, I was able to live at home while in college and after graduation - rent free. My parent's provided my food and helped me with clothing, etc. Not everyone has a family to lean on and things are very different than when I went to college 20-odd years ago. College costs are sky-high and becoming unattainable. If you do not even make enough money to buy food, how on earth do you get money to go to college?

One thing people always fail to mention is that financial aid at colleges is need based for the most part. You pay based on your income. Some of that aid may be loans, but a lot of it never needs to be paid back. The "sky high" college costs are not paid by the very low income students. You cannot let the initial sticker shock prevent you from exploring the options.

 

[missfigment]

Okay...while I love Disney...and while I do think many of the CM are treated poorly by guests at times...here is the thing....

Cast Members...work at the restaurants, work the hotel front desks, work the rides, work in the gift shops, directing parking traffic,..these jobs do not take specialized training other than what initial training they are put through in order to learn their job.

So because its Disney...then people expect to make a living off of wearing a costume or working a ride? Its not a career. It's a job.

Its minimum wage...is it comprable to waiting tables elsewhere?

I wouldnt expect to feed my family, save for college, on a Disney castmember job. Minimum wage is understandable. Not trying to be disrespectful, just trying to be realisitic.

With this in mind....I do think many castmembers go out of their way to be "magic" and i know we benefit from their kindness...but in all honesty...if you are a Castmember who is in charge of walking on the People Mover and saying watch your step....I wouldnt expect much more money wise.

 

[larryz]

If you do not even make enough money to buy food, how on earth do you get money to go to college?

It doesn't have to be college -- there are vocational training alternatives that don't involve a traditional campus. And there are some traditional campuses that provide vocational certification courses in parallel to degree-granting studies.

You have to look for them, but they're there. And you may be eating a lot of beans and rice, ramen (Purina Student Chow), and a "night out" might be a bean burrito at Taco Bell, but it can be done.

 

[princesssunshine320]

I am very sad to read this entire thread. What has happened to our country? Really...people should be thankful to have a job? That is an pathetic mindset! We should all want more for ourselves and for eachother. I understand that these are not highly skilled jobs, but people should be able to feed themselves after working 40 hours a week. They should be able to go to the doctor when they are sick without fear of losing everything. They should be able to buy their kids a Christmas gift. We are the United States for God's sake...we shouldn't tell people who make $7 an hour to be thankful they have a job. We should want them to make more. If people are willing to work they should be compensated fairly. Fairly meaning they should be able to support, at the very least, themselves through compensation and health care. It is absolutely sick that we sit on these boards discussing our $6000 a week trips that are made spectacular by those CM's and in the next breath say they don't deserve to buy their kid a Christmas gift and should be thankful they have a job. That is shameful!

 

[missfigment]

waaaiittt a sec...

I am very sad to read this entire thread. What has happened to our country? Really...people should be thankful to have a job? That is an pathetic mindset!

Not a pathetic mindset...its reality. In this economy...YES you should be thankful to have a job. Any job.

"We should all want more for ourselves and for eachother. I understand that these are not highly skilled jobs, but people should be able to feed themselves after working 40 hours a week. They should be able to go to the doctor when they are sick without fear of losing everything. They should be able to buy their kids a Christmas gift. We are the United States for God's sake...we shouldn't tell people who make $7 an hour to be thankful they have a job."

The mindset of Beautiful America...land of opportunity...work hard enough and you can become rich is long gone. People break their backs doing a LOT more work and earning less in this country than what these CM earn

"We should want them to make more. If people are willing to work they should be compensated fairly. Fairly meaning they should be able to support, at the very least, themselves through compensation and health care.

Agree...work=fair pay...but also no one takes a job not knowing what the pay is. If I need a job....desperately....and I take whatever is offered...I can't turn around and be angry for what I agreed to when they first hired me. No one pulled wool over your eyes. If I have a family of four and I am a breadwinner....and the job Im interviewing at says I can pay you 7.00 an hour...I have two choices...I can take the job and knowing that this wont be enough to make ends meet, I will go and look for a second job....or....I dont take the job. Plain and simple. No one is fooling anyone here.

"It is absolutely sick that we sit on these boards discussing our $6000 a week trips that are made spectacular by those CM's and in the next breath say they don't deserve to buy their kid a Christmas gift and should be thankful they have a job. That is shameful!

Shameful, yes, that we may brag about these vacations...but no one here is saying someone doesnt deserve to buy their kid a christmas present. But I will say YES you should be thankful you have a job. I knwo PLENTY of families out there who would jump at 7.00 an hour. I dont apply at McDonalds and expect to be getting above minimum wage. I dont apply at Walmart and expect more than minimum wage. Just because its Disney....the CEOs and the business side doesnt carry on the MAGIC that Disney represents....its a multi million billion dollar company. When it comes down to wages...its business...not pixie dust.

 

[JCH]

I am very sad to read this entire thread. What has happened to our country? Really...people should be thankful to have a job? That is an pathetic mindset! We should all want more for ourselves and for eachother. I understand that these are not highly skilled jobs, but people should be able to feed themselves after working 40 hours a week. They should be able to go to the doctor when they are sick without fear of losing everything. They should be able to buy their kids a Christmas gift. We are the United States for God's sake...we shouldn't tell people who make $7 an hour to be thankful they have a job. We should want them to make more. If people are willing to work they should be compensated fairly. Fairly meaning they should be able to support, at the very least, themselves through compensation and health care. It is absolutely sick that we sit on these boards discussing our $6000 a week trips that are made spectacular by those CM's and in the next breath say they don't deserve to buy their kid a Christmas gift and should be thankful they have a job. That is shameful!

Look, these people would be making minimum wage if the economy were great. It is a non skilled, minimum wage, not meant to be a 20 year position kind of job. It almost sounds like people are using the bad economy to try to justify paying low level employees more, thinking the be thankful you have mindset is the problem, bit there are some positions that will always be minimum wage. If Disney raised the pay significantly, there would be more demand from more qualified people who would push out a lot of those complaining. Then where would they be?

They are called entry level for a reason. You stay there a bit, gain some knowledge, and if you are good, you move up or move on to another higher paying position. Then someone new replaces you at minimum wage to do the same thing. That's how upward mobility works. It doesn't work by allowing someone to just get raises for the sake of getting raises. Cost of living increases work for industries where there is no real upward mobility or chance to move up, but these are positions that usually require skills, education, and certification.

If you have an issue with the current level of the minimum wage, call your congresspeople, don't blame Disney, McDonalds, or any other company pays it.

 

[KingofSwing3000]

first of all alot of the cast members are in the college program and yes make min wage ,,,

Disney employees about 50k. CPs only make up about less than 10% of that not "alot". The average CP nets $300 a week. Of that about $100 a week will go towards rent alone. I had 5 roomies in 2001 meaning we paid $2400 a month for an apartment that would have been about $700 in the area.

 

[shalom]

I love all the "just get a job responses". Please tell me where all these so called great paying jobs are?

I haven't seen anyone here say that there are great paying jobs out there (at least not for the unskilled). Some people have even recommended getting a second job, which clearly implies the first job isn't well-paying.

We are the United States for God's sake...we shouldn't tell people who make $7 an hour to be thankful they have a job. We should want them to make more.

There's a big difference between encouraging people to better themselves and encouraging people to demand more money from a particular employer. If someone wants to make more than $7/hour, the solution is to find something to do that people will pay more than $7/hour for. That means you must either do something that requires a learned skill (my 17-yo son makes $10/hour working on computers), or you must do something that most people aren't willing to do (which is why garbage collectors make more than teachers, on average -- teaching requires more skill, but there are a lot of people willing to be teachers but not so many willing to be garbage collectors).

Money symbolizes actual work or actual product; it isn't some magical substance you can hand out to everybody so they can all have what they want. The further a government separates money from actual work and actual product, the more inflation and mismanagement, which is bad for everybody.