BREAKING: Disney, Largest Union Reach Agreement

raven

Well-Known Member
I belonged to a union for awhile, and the union was happy to take my dues money (and it was BIG money at that), yet had an entirely ineffective system of communicating, or not communicating at all, with its paying members. That was quite awhile ago though.

And they don't tell you that even though you start paying your dues from the first day you are hired, they can't help you until after your first 90 days. By that time they've already taken $200 from your paycheck!
 

raven

Well-Known Member
If you look at the STC website they have the current info:
http://servicetradescouncil.org/stc2005/main/councilnews.html

The Contract has been extended through March 17, 2011.
We were able to resolve some specific job classification issues as well as bonus adjustments
Please contact your Bargaining Unit Committee Members for details.
FULL TIME CONTRACT VOTE
February 25, 2011
VOTING LOCATIONS
TCU 1908 and Worker's United 737 - Port Orleans
Unite Here 362 and UFCW 1625 - Contemporary
Teamsters Local 385 - TTC
IATSE 631 - Hollywood Studios
Transportation will be provided to voting locations

Or Unite here! Local 352
http://www.uniteherelocal362.blogspot.com/

Thank you. Those links have never been provided for me. The last newsletter I received was back in November.
 

Victoria

Not old, just vintage.
This may seem like a stupid question, but since I've never worked in a unionized job, I genuinely don't know....is it mandatory for CMs to join their union when they get hired? I know things like crossing picket lines during a strike and such are frowned upon but I'm curious if it's possible to just choose not to be "represented." :shrug:
 

Tom Morrow

Well-Known Member
Pay and benefits are relative to the skill and complexity of the job you are tasked to perform. I work in attractions. Do I think I deserve more than $7.70 an hour for standing in one place for 45 minutes pushing a button, telling people where to sit, and pushing strollers? Not really. If you want better pay and better benefits get a job that isn't entry level.
I work in attractions as well, but I think many attractions at Disney should have the starting pay increased by maybe a dollar.

Lets face it, you do much more than "press a button." Disney expects you to give top notch guest service, 100% of the time. In comparison, a Walmart associate starts at like $8.20. And for what?

That said, I agree with your list and your other statements.
 

Wilt Dasney

Well-Known Member
This may seem like a stupid question, but since I've never worked in a unionized job, I genuinely don't know....is it mandatory for CMs to join their union when they get hired? I know things like crossing picket lines during a strike and such are frowned upon but I'm curious if it's possible to just choose not to be "represented." :shrug:
It varies around the country. In Florida, union membership is voluntary.
 

DisneyDork34

New Member
Union dues

And those Union dues that you pay could be put to paying for the benefits. I understand those who won't see a pay raise enough to handle the raise of benefits. But I haven't seen the union do much for anyone that I work around. So why spend the money on something that isn't efficient when that money can go to benefits. Just my opinion...
 

disnyfan89

Well-Known Member
It varies around the country. In Florida, union membership is voluntary.
Not that the Unions at WDW will tell you that. They sit you down in a room during traditions and talk to you about the Union and then pass around papers and tell you to fill them out. Never once will they mention that not only is it optional to join but you also still get all the same benefits and protection the union has to offer even if you aren't a member.
 

Wilt Dasney

Well-Known Member
Not that the Unions at WDW will tell you that. They sit you down in a room during traditions and talk to you about the Union and then pass around papers and tell you to fill them out. Never once will they mention that not only is it optional to join but you also still get all the same benefits and protection the union has to offer even if you aren't a member.
I have a CM friend who went into the meeting knowing she didn't have to join. She said it worked just like what you said. When they passed around the sign-up sheets, she took a pass. Said she got some pretty weird looks from the union folks, but of course all they could do was pick up the sheet.

I'm a little torn on the issue. If I worked at WDW, I'd probably opt to keep more money in my own pocket by not joining, just because I'd know I could. But I'd also feel a little guilty knowing I was benefiting from whatever negotiating the union did on my behalf without personally chipping in. It's a personal call, I guess.
 

BigThunderMatt

Well-Known Member
I work in attractions as well, but I think many attractions at Disney should have the starting pay increased by maybe a dollar.

Lets face it, you do much more than "press a button." Disney expects you to give top notch guest service, 100% of the time. In comparison, a Walmart associate starts at like $8.20. And for what?

That said, I agree with your list and your other statements.

Some attractions are more complex than others and you could potentially argue that as a point for different pay rates. But then attractions would have to be separated into different tiers which means they couldn't be random placement as people could grieve that they wanted one with a higher pay scale. And then of course no one would take the lower tier attractions, which would result in a climbing pay scale anyway as they would transfer to the higher tiers as soon as they could, leaving Disney to start people off at the lowest pay regardless.

The only attraction that pays more off the bat is Kilimanjaro Safaris, which I can understand because you're expected to spiel with appropriate ad-libbing on the fly when animals are not present, drive a truck down real roads, and make sure not to hit the animals, all the while monitoring for safety issues. The guest service portion is kind of an expectation of any role at Disney in general regardless of your role or line of business. It kind of comes with the territory.
 

KeithVH

Well-Known Member
Can someone explain the complaints around healthcare? I thought that was taken care of with the Affordable Healthcare Act?
 

JimboJones123

Well-Known Member
I work in attractions as well, but I think many attractions at Disney should have the starting pay increased by maybe a dollar.

Lets face it, you do much more than "press a button." Disney expects you to give top notch guest service, 100% of the time. In comparison, a Walmart associate starts at like $8.20. And for what?

That said, I agree with your list and your other statements.

I know I shouldn't hop into this but your post is just begging for a response.

Are you jealous of the Walmart associate's pay in comparison to the work they do?

Go get their job then. If it really means that much to you to get that extra $1, don't work at Disney. You can work at Burger King for $9. Deliver Pizza for $10.50 plus tips.

If there were a shortage of Florida residents that wanted the jobs in attractions, they would first add on the hiring bonuses that we have seen many times before. If it ever becomes such an undesirable job that they still cannot get enough employees, they will raise the pay by $1. Until then, the pay is reasonable, especially when you complain about how much simpler life would be if you worked at Walmart for the extra $1 an hour.

Being an hourly CM is not meant to be a family supporting position. That is why the pay is low. If you step out of your attractions job, another kid or retiree would be happy to take your job for your pay.

I don't see why this is such a difficult concept to understand. If it was the best paid job in Central Florida, nobody would have to work the drive-thru windows, check groceries, or stock body lotion at the mall. They would all be CMs.

There is a reason why 90% of the people on these boards don't pack it up and move to Orlando to work at Disney. I would guarantee to you that more than 50% of the people here would make the switch for equal pay. But those jobs don't pay what we make.

If you want something more for yourself financially, please feel free to test the market yourself. I am sure your local deli department would love to give you $9.50 per hour for your trouble. Thing is, you would lose that CM free pass, discounts, and happiness that comes with working for Disney. You surely consider that part of your pay, or you would have moved on before. You may not account for it in your pay, but you still accept it willingly all the same.
 

skellington216

New Member
I know I shouldn't hop into this but your post is just begging for a response.

Are you jealous of the Walmart associate's pay in comparison to the work they do?

Go get their job then. If it really means that much to you to get that extra $1, don't work at Disney. You can work at Burger King for $9. Deliver Pizza for $10.50 plus tips.

If there were a shortage of Florida residents that wanted the jobs in attractions, they would first add on the hiring bonuses that we have seen many times before. If it ever becomes such an undesirable job that they still cannot get enough employees, they will raise the pay by $1. Until then, the pay is reasonable, especially when you complain about how much simpler life would be if you worked at Walmart for the extra $1 an hour.

Being an hourly CM is not meant to be a family supporting position. That is why the pay is low. If you step out of your attractions job, another kid or retiree would be happy to take your job for your pay.

I don't see why this is such a difficult concept to understand. If it was the best paid job in Central Florida, nobody would have to work the drive-thru windows, check groceries, or stock body lotion at the mall. They would all be CMs.

There is a reason why 90% of the people on these boards don't pack it up and move to Orlando to work at Disney. I would guarantee to you that more than 50% of the people here would make the switch for equal pay. But those jobs don't pay what we make.

If you want something more for yourself financially, please feel free to test the market yourself. I am sure your local deli department would love to give you $9.50 per hour for your trouble. Thing is, you would lose that CM free pass, discounts, and happiness that comes with working for Disney. You surely consider that part of your pay, or you would have moved on before. You may not account for it in your pay, but you still accept it willingly all the same.

Well said, Sir.
 

spoodles

Member
It's not just hourly CMs. I interviewed for a salaried professional position. Of course I'd been warned about the low pay, but figured I'd just be upfront with my salary requirements, which I was. We went through a long process that included flying me down there and putting me up at the Yacht Club. I ended up getting an offer for 1/3 less than I was currently making. They know there's plenty of people who would really love to work for them, and they take full advantage.
 

Tom Morrow

Well-Known Member
I know I shouldn't hop into this but your post is just begging for a response.

Are you jealous of the Walmart associate's pay in comparison to the work they do?

Go get their job then. If it really means that much to you to get that extra $1, don't work at Disney. You can work at Burger King for $9. Deliver Pizza for $10.50 plus tips.

If there were a shortage of Florida residents that wanted the jobs in attractions, they would first add on the hiring bonuses that we have seen many times before. If it ever becomes such an undesirable job that they still cannot get enough employees, they will raise the pay by $1. Until then, the pay is reasonable, especially when you complain about how much simpler life would be if you worked at Walmart for the extra $1 an hour.

Being an hourly CM is not meant to be a family supporting position. That is why the pay is low. If you step out of your attractions job, another kid or retiree would be happy to take your job for your pay.

I don't see why this is such a difficult concept to understand. If it was the best paid job in Central Florida, nobody would have to work the drive-thru windows, check groceries, or stock body lotion at the mall. They would all be CMs.

There is a reason why 90% of the people on these boards don't pack it up and move to Orlando to work at Disney. I would guarantee to you that more than 50% of the people here would make the switch for equal pay. But those jobs don't pay what we make.

If you want something more for yourself financially, please feel free to test the market yourself. I am sure your local deli department would love to give you $9.50 per hour for your trouble. Thing is, you would lose that CM free pass, discounts, and happiness that comes with working for Disney. You surely consider that part of your pay, or you would have moved on before. You may not account for it in your pay, but you still accept it willingly all the same.
Why is the response on these boards always a condescending "if you don't like it, then QUIT!" ??

Because clearly I would have quit already if I didn't like it and wanted higher pay from a boring job somewhere else. I'm merely suggesting that perhaps more attractions than Kilimanjaro Safaris should get a premium pay as some of them require a heck of a lot of stress out of their Cast Members.
 

Alektronic

Well-Known Member
Or work for a company that really values their employees and when they have record profits they share with ALL employees.

AP Source: GM hourly workers get $4,000 bonuses

By TOM KRISHER, AP Auto Writer Tom Krisher, Ap Auto Writer 35 mins ago

DETROIT – General Motors Co. will pay more than $189 million in profit-sharing to 48,000 U.S. hourly workers and millions more in performance bonuses to salaried employees, according to company documents obtained by The Associated Press.
GM will pay most hourly workers more than $4,000 each as compensation for its strong financial performance last year, said a person briefed on the bonuses. The payments come less than two years after the automaker emerged from bankruptcy protection with the help of a huge government bailout. They're more than double the previous record payment of $1,775 in 1999, at the height of the boom in sales of sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks.
"On the whole, we made tremendous progress last year," CEO and Chairman Dan Akerson said in an e-mail message to employees announcing the payments on Monday. "With our collective teamwork, this can be just the beginning."
GM's 28,000 salaried workers, such as engineers and managers, will get bonuses equal to 4 to 16 percent of their base pay. Fewer than 1 percent will get 50 percent or more; another 3 percent will get from 16 percent to around 50 percent, the person said. GM is not giving annual pay raises.
GM made $4.2 billion in the first nine months of 2010 and is expected to soon announce a fourth-quarter profit. The company needed a $49.5 billion government bailout to survive a mid-2009 bankruptcy filing, and the government still owns 25 percent of GM's stock. Chrysler, which needed a $12.5 billion bailout, plans to pay bonuses as well. The government owns about 9 percent of Chrysler stock.
The payments were condemned by a leading critic of the industry bailout in Congress.
"Since the taxpayers helped these companies out of bankruptcy, the taxpayers should be repaid before bonuses go out," Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said in a statement. "It sends a message that those in charge take shareholders, in this case the taxpayers, for a sucker."
Final numbers for the bonuses won't be calculated until after GM announces its fourth-quarter and full-year earnings, said the person briefed on the bonuses, who asked not to be identified because the numbers have not been made public.
The 45,000 hourly workers at GM's factories will get more than $4,000. Another 3,000 workers at four factories that GM took back from Delphi Corp. will get around $3,000, the person said. GM is trying to sell the old Delphi facilities in Kokomo, Ind.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Rochester, N.Y.; and Lockport, N.Y.
The person briefed on the payments did not know the total cost of the salaried bonuses, but it's likely to top $200 million. Most GM salaried workers make more than $100,000. A bonus of 8 percent, the midpoint of the range, would give them roughly $8,000. That means GM would pay out roughly $224 million.
Bonuses for white-collar workers rise with the level of responsibility and are based on the performance of the worker and the company, the person said.
The size of the white-collar bonuses could become an issue later this year when the Detroit Three begin contract talks with the United Auto Workers union. The master contract with all three companies expires in September.
The payments follow GM's surprising return to profitability last year. The company emerged from bankruptcy cleansed of most of its debt and burdensome contracts. Union concessions cut labor costs and helped the company make money even at historically low sales volumes. Buyers bought only 11.6 million cars and trucks in the U.S. last year, far below the peak of 17 million in the middle of the last decade.
The GM documents say the white-collar bonuses are based on operating cash flow, earnings before interest and taxes, and global market share. This year, the company plans to add vehicle quality to the formula, measured by warranty claims and outside rankings from Consumer Reports magazine and J.D. Power and Associates, the person said.
GM has said its top 100 earners are still covered under government pay restrictions. Cash salaries have been capped at $500,000, but further compensation can be made in stock. Many of the executives still will take home more than $1 million.
Chrysler's roughly 22,000 blue-collar workers were to get $750 in bonuses even though the company lost $652 million last year. It expects to post a net profit this year after revamping its aging model lineup. Chrysler salaried workers also were to get bonuses, despite a $12.5 billion government bailout.
GM's other Detroit-area competitor, Ford Motor Co., plans to pay its 40,600 U.S. factory workers a bonus of $5,000 each, the first such checks since 1999. The Dearborn, Mich., company, which avoided bankruptcy and did not get a government bailout, made $6.6 billion last year. It also plans to pay performance bonuses to white-collar workers, but it would not reveal the amounts.

Last month, Akerson said that GM would not give white-collar raises but would give bonuses tied to company performance. GM, he said, used to give annual raises all the time. "Three percent times five years in a row is 15 percent added to your cost structure," he said. "All of the sudden you're starting to really narrow the possibilities and flexibility of any reaction to a downturn. It's very difficult to overcome," he said.
 

raven

Well-Known Member
Or work for a company that really values their employees and when they have record profits they share with ALL employees.

AP Source: GM hourly workers get $4,000 bonuses

Seriously? I lived in Detroit for 13 years and so many of my friends were laid off by GM. It was in the news all the time about their lay offs. That's not a fair compairison by any means.
 

AEfx

Well-Known Member
I don't see why this is such a difficult concept to understand. If it was the best paid job in Central Florida, nobody would have to work the drive-thru windows, check groceries, or stock body lotion at the mall. They would all be CMs.

That's just a silly statement. Disney only has a limited number of positions, that number would not change just because more people would want to work there.

For what is expected of them, CM's are underpaid compared to other jobs in the area. The kid working at McDonalds doesn't have to drive to a parking lot and wait for a bus to take them to work, they don't have to adhere to the strict appearance standards, or the guest service standards, etc.

What I don't understand what is such a difficult concept is that here we all are, complaining on this board that the quality of CM's has gone down in the last decade or two, and people don't make the connection between this and the fact Disney pays extremely low wages.

What has happened is EXACTLY what you suggest - people have gone elsewhere. They'd rather work in a Deli, or McDonalds, for more money and a lot less hassle.

So here we are, with the few people who love their jobs staying, the rest people just passing time until something better comes along, and the huge amount of CP'ers who the vast majority have no investment in the job because they are just looking forward to getting drunk that night until they go back to college.

That's what the employee pool has come to at WDW, and why so many of us complain about declining standards. People have done exactly as suggested - they went elsewhere, and the loss of guest experience is paying for it.
 

RunnerEd

Well-Known Member
Or work for a company that really values their employees and when they have record profits they share with ALL employees.

AP Source: GM hourly workers get $4,000 bonuses

That might be a reasonable argument AFTER ALL of the bailout money was paid back but for now, GOVERNMENT Motors shouldn't be giving bonuses to anyone.
 

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