Consumerist.com - Estimated Hourly Wages For The Lowest Paying Jobs In The U.S.

[mkt]

http://consumerist.com/363893/estimated-hourly-wages-for-the-lowest-paying-jobs-in-the-us

Average Hourly Wages as estimated by Political Calculations
* does not include unreported tip income

Waiters and waitresses* $4.21
Waiters and waitresses' assistants $5.94
Bartenders* $6.39
Amusement and Recreation Facility Attendants $6.97
Baggage Porters and Bellhops* $7.20
Food Preparation Workers Not Classified Elsewhere $7.77
Early Childhood Teacher's Assistants $7.96
Maids and Housemen $7.99
Teacher's Aides $8.01
Food Preparation Kitchen Workers $8.43

Seeing as how the bolded entry directly relates to WDW CM's, please discuss

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

"which published a study of the lowest-wage workers in the U.S. from 1979 through 2005,"

The figures are three years old - but thats a very poor hourly rate

 

[board57796]

Edit

 

[coasterphil]

Getting paid anything to be at Disney World for a semester is ok by me!

And this is why Disney will never have to offer a respectable rate to its CMs, and that is really unfortunate.

 

[board57796]

Edit

 

[Chape19714]

Working for Disney is the best thing I've ever done. It opens doors and makes contacts. I can see myself working there the rest of my life. It really is a great job. The benefits are also great, including the Main gate, discounts, etc.

 

[mkt]

Yes, but do the main gate and discounts put food on your plate?

 

[Chape19714]

No, but the paycheck does. Honestly, I'm pretty simple and don't need too much to stay happy. However, WDW is still only PT for me because I'm going through School, so I don't have a full story on it yet.

 

[coasterphil]

The Disney brand is what intially attracts people to come there to work, but the pay is a main reason as to why many CMs that are good eventually have to leave.

 

[k.hunter30]

And this is why Disney will never have to offer a respectable rate to its CMs, and that is really unfortunate.

No... from what the OP included in his post, it's the fact that the average amusement and recreation facility attendants' wages are of this salary range. Why would Disney pay mugh higher than the usual market salary?
It has little to do with what you mentioned.

 

[coasterphil]

No... from what the OP included in his post, it's the fact that the average amusement and recreation facility attendants' wages are of this salary range. Why would Disney pay mugh higher than the usual market salary?
It has little to do with what you mentioned.

Most amusement facilities are only open seasonally and are mainly an option for teens/students to work at. Not exactly a fair comparison to Disney.

WDW is in a market loaded with better paying service job options plus most of the cast aren't teens/students anymore and can't be expected to live off $7 an hour. Plus, other amusement companies don't require as much from their employees as Disney does so one would assume that would result in a difference in pay.

 

[k.hunter30]

I work in a much smaller hospital than a larger one in a more urban area, yet, I would expect pay in my field of employment to be similar. While it would be great to think that a company will shell out a bunch more money just because they are more profitable, the world doesn't really work that way. You get paid what the market will allow.
It's not based on if certain employees wouldn't mind working for free or not.

 

[coasterphil]

The fact that you are paid as much for working at a small hospital as someone at a large urban hospital isn't likely to be true. A business has to take into account the local cost of living and the local employment market when deciding what they are willing to offer. People in the rural midwest will never make as much as people in NYC with a similar job description.

My argument is that WDW isn't in the same market as a Six Flags New England is. It has nothing to do with how much money Disney has. WDW offers one of if not the lowest wage in the Orlando area yet expects more out of their employees than most employers. The market Disney should be judged against is Orlando, not some local amusement park that employs high school kids during summer vacation.

The only reason Disney is able to keep someone from going to work for another local hospitality business for $10 an hour is the Disney brand. Many people love it so much that they are drawn to work there in spite of the relatively poor compensation. Others do it just to work through a short period of low pay to get Disney on the resume and move somewhere else that pays better. Most (notice that I didn't say all, so please don't come after me CPs) CPs do it because they think it's going to be just like a vacation and are just happy to be in the FL sun as opposed to the cold at their northern campus.

 

[k.hunter30]

My argument is that WDW isn't in the same market as Six Flags New England is. It has nothing to do with how much money Disney has. WDW offers one of if not the lowest wage in the Orlando area yet expects more out of their employees than most employers. The market Disney should be judged against is Orlando, not some local amusement park that employs high school kids during summer vacation.

The only reason Disney is able to keep someone from going to work for another local hospitality business for $10 an hour is the Disney brand. Many people love it so much that they are drawn to work there in spite of the relatively poor compensation. Others do it just to work through a short period of low pay to get Disney on the resume and move somewhere else that pays better. Most CPs do it because they think it's going to be just like a vacation and are just happy to be in the FL sun as opposed to the cold at their northern campus.

I would think this article/survey includes both types of parks. If it didn't, I would venture to say they would have been more specific in their naming of that group.
I guess we just have different opinions.

EDIT:

The fact that you are paid as much for working at a small hospital as someone at a large urban hospital isn't likely to be true. A business has to take into account the local cost of living and the local employment market when deciding what they are willing to offer.

It is true. I work for a 275 bed hospital about an hour or so south of a city. If I worked for one of the more profitable 800+ bed hospitals in the city, the pay difference would not be that great.

 

[Wilt Dasney]

How does the pay at Universal and SeaWorld compare to Disney? If they're about the same, that suggests that it's more than loyalty to the Disney brand keeping these CMs in low-paying jobs, otherwise the non-Disney parks would have to pay more.

At any rate, life is about tradeoffs. If it's worth it to someone to have to live with roommates and eat the occasional bag of Ramen to work on Main Street and get into the parks for free, then that's their choice to make. (They might not particularly like the nature of the choice, but they still have to make it.)

 

[mkt]

BJ, Sea World and Universal pay marginally more for most positions... and at Sea World, you also get free beer as an employee perk.

 

[joanna71985]

Working for Disney is the best thing I've ever done. It opens doors and makes contacts. I can see myself working there the rest of my life. It really is a great job. The benefits are also great, including the Main gate, discounts, etc.

Amen to that!!