Breaking News! Union Vote Is In!

[Number_6]

This strike vote makes me laugh.

Before the WDW CM's do anything, they really need to step back from the abyss and count to ten. And then, after they count to ten, pick up the phone and call any supermarket employee here in Southern California and ask them about the "little strike" they went on over increased health costs one year ago. That supermarket strike turned into the biggest mess in grocery history. It was supposed to last for "just a couple of weeks", and instead it dragged on for over six months. Grocery employees lost their savings, their friends, their jobs, and some of them lost their homes and cars as month after month the strike dragged on.

They finally went back to work, but they got exactly the same health care increases they turned down in the beginning, but they lost some of the wage increases and pension benefits management had offered them before the strike.

If the CM's are stupid enough to strike, I will have no pity for them. They really need to study up on the most recent disastrous strikes for low-level unskilled employees who allow the Union fat cats to get them fired up over rising health care costs.

Seriously Cast Members, think very hard about this. And phone up a grocery worker here in SoCal and ask them for their advice on how to keep a job and a life.

But by the same token, in my home State of Massachusetts, during a time that I worked for about $6.00/hr at a grocery store called Star Market, a rival store called Shaw's, whose "unskilled" service workers(same department as me) that were members of a union voted to strike. What was the result of their strike? After I think it was only about a month, tops, they had a pay increase to over $9.00/hr for starting wages for the basic job of bagging groceries. Meanwhile, it took 9 months for me to get my 6 month review for a raise to $6.10. After I left there for a job with better pay and benefits, Shaw's bought out Star Market so now my former co-workers do get paid a decent amount that they wouldn't have gotten if it weren't for the union strike a couple of years before.

 

[AEfx]

Wow, I've never read a thread - much less at a Disney site - where so many people are so uninformed and have such limited world-views.

We are talking about people's lives and families, and the amount of vitriol and elitism is really stunning.

I'm glad some people around here feel like they have all the answers - perhaps they should use their superior knowledge to make the world a better place instead of degrading and, in some cases insulting, those CM's who make the magic at WDW what it is for all of us who are lucky enough to visit.

AEfx

 

[brich]

Where the hell are half of you living? I want to live in the place where you can just leave your job of several years and go right out and get a job that pays more money, with no time or effort to find that job. And to do this at a time of high unemployment too.

I guess I see where some of the issues are coming from. Fortunately, your employed. That is a blessing in itself as unemployment is currently perceived to be high. Is it smart to just leave your job? Of course not. But while you have a job, it would be a perfect time to start looking for a job. I live in Massachusetts and am employed in high tech. A majority of my high tech peers are out of work, some being out in excess of a year. We are also seeing many of our positions getting outsourced overseas. So my carrer choice does not have an abundance of opportunities. I have had 6 jobs since 1999, mostly not by choice, so I have learned to always be looking for work because you never know. I also want to add that I have received a signifiant salary increase with each new position. My point being, I don't agree totally with your veiw. You and and only you can make a change. Don't find excuses, find a solution. Find a job that will support you and your family before you leave your current job. Nothing comes for free, it takes effort. Be thankful that you have a job. Many don't. But don't be complacent, get going. Nobody is going to take care of you except yourself. If you knew me you would understand that anybody can do it. Especially when you have little mouths to feed. Good luck CMs. I hope you get what is rightfully yours as I truly appreciate all you do when I'm down there but don't sit around waiting for Disney to make your bed. :sohappy:

 

[patricia27]

I hear that the "Disney stores" in the USA have been sold. Does that mean that the cast members in those stores will no longer get their discounts in
WDW---- on food and merchandise?

 

[PhotoDave219]

I havent a bloody clue. Ask your local leaders if youre a Disney Store cm.

 

[mwc1996]

I have to start off by saying that I truley hope that Disney employees get more money but they have to realize that health care costs are going up for everybody. This isn't just a Disney thing, it's everywhere.

I have been at my current job for just over 3 years which is longer than I have ever stayed at any 1 job. I have stayed because I have advanced and keep getting more money. I left teh other places because there was opportunity out there for me to make more somewhere else. If you believe you are underpaid then look for a job somewhere else. I know that finding another job isn't always easy but if you are worth more than what you are making then find a place that will pay you what you are worth. That is what I've done. This isn't just for Disney employees but everyone. It hust blows my mind that people will continue to work at a place where they feel they are being treated so horribly. If it's that bad then look for a job somewhere else. Don't complain about it...do something about it. The union is trying to do something about it but you aren't going to get everything that you want. Disney won't let that happen. Hopefully you get enough and you will be happy with that.

I have one more point I'd like to make. I don't remember who said it but they roughly said why shouldn't a company be happy making 10%. Why should they have to make 20% profits per year. They should share the profits with the employees who make their profits possible. I'm sorry but this is one of the dumbest things I have ever heard. It is managements job to maximize profits. If they don't then they will be looking for a new job. If they want to make profit sharing part of the contract then I'd be all for that. The company I work for gives us stock options which in a way is profit sharing. If the stock price goes up then I will get more when I exercise my options. If it goes down then the options are worthless. What I want to know is if you expect Disney to share the profits with it's employees, will the employees give back money if Disney looses money? Of course not. You agreed to do a job for a set amount of pay. You wouldn't want to give any of that pay back any more than management will want to give you more money. It's an agreement that you made when you accepted the job. If you don't like it then leave. If not then stay and do your job (which you do so well). Good luck in with a new agreement but I don't think you will be satisfied with the results. :brick:

 

[artvandelay]

87 posts about the union in WDW and not one 'manifesto' from HennieBogan. I'm shocked.

 

[CRO-Magnum]

The reason the rich are getting richer is because they understand how the system works. Want the secret? Invest in bank stocks and companies largely held by mutual funds. Banks always make money; last losing quarter for a large bank that was truly a loss versus writeoffs for tax reasons (or fraud) happened in the 1930's. You make money over time as the value rises, not on dividends.

Mutual funds control the prices of many stocks. If they don't like the quarterly results they simply drop the stock and pick up something new. If they like the results they maintain their holdings or may increase their stake. If you follow the mutual funds and the stocks they own you can decipher the code because they tend to be conservative. Learn how to trade just before the mutual fund and you can buy low and sell high.

The truly wealthy, the brokers, fund managers and bankers, have a lock on creating wealth. They win regardless of the transaction; whether your investments increase or decrease. That's the path to being truly wealthy and explains why our market keeps going up and down. When Lou Dobbs talks about profit taking as a reason for stocks dropping it's a sign that those who make money on the transactions are advising their clients to sell to drum up transactions. Putting a little money in their client's pocket keeps the clients from complaining...too much. Of course once they have reaped the profits they are "advised" to re-invest in the market creating more new transactions. What a racket!

Always remember that the stock market is predicated on what is called the "Bigger Idiot Theory"; that there is a bigger idiot than you who feels the stock is worth more. Sometimes you run out of idiots like happened in 1929, 1987 and the Internet / Telecomm sector bubble burst of 2000.

 

[mwc1996]

UUmmmmmm. I'm a banker and I'm not rich. Banks are like any other company. The executives get rich and everyone else works. I don't know why everyone thinks that bankers are so wealthy. I get that a lot. I take my 45,000 a year and make it work.

 

[CRO-Magnum]

My mistake. I'm talking about Investment Bankers, not people employed by a bank who are actually not bankers in the classical sense of the term. A "Banker" is someone with the authority to acquire and dispose of assets, make loans, and enter into deals as a representative of the Bank. Most banks have an investment bank arm.

My appologies. As one who lives in Charlotte, NC home of Bank of American and Wachovia I can tell you there is one HECK of alot of money floating around this town and it isn't coming from sales of Panthers merchandise.

 

[mwc1996]

Wachovia (sp?), or as we like to say, Walk over ya, had talks with my bank about acquiring us. Thank god it didn't happen. Energy bankers are the ones in our bank that make the big bucks. That's the main business here in Houston.

What was the topic of this thread again? :veryconfu

 

[BwanaBob]

87 posts about the union in WDW and not one 'manifesto' from HennieBogan. I'm shocked.

I think you'll see a lot of us that were in that last thread "not - in" this one!

 

[boo52]

87 posts about the union in WDW and not one 'manifesto' from HennieBogan. I'm shocked.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[TravisMT81]

87 posts about the union in WDW and not one 'manifesto' from HennieBogan. I'm shocked.

ROTFLMAO!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

it is a miracle, he must be on vacation.

 

[Mary Poppins]

It is a 3% raise, which is pretty much average for unskilled labor.

Unskilled labor is what a large group of those covered under this union are not . When cast members have to go through auditions and rehearsals I don't see how they are unskilled.

 

[Mary Poppins]

I agree completely! If someone cannot meet their financial needs while working at Disney it is time to find a new or second job to supplement their income.

I have been in entertainment with Disney for ten years. In that time, each time negotiations came up Disney was willing to give their cast members enough of a raise to cover cost of living. Being worried about meeting financial needs was never a concern. Neither was having to get a second job just to make ends meet. It shouldn't be that way especially for someone who is a full time employee with a company.

 

[Mary Poppins]

I am not attacking you, I am trying discuss your points, which I strongly disagree with.

I also disagree with the statement you made above......you will do more for the company if they pay you more. Is this what it has come to? Are employees doing a half-baked job because they don't agree with their pay?

To answer your question, yes. Yes, there are still those cms who help maintain the magic but more and more are leaving and it's getting harder to find those who will. For example, when I auditioned for entertainment ten years ago there were ten thousand people at my audition. It lasted 11 hours. Auditions were held every three months. For every ten people who applied for a job with Disney, only one got hired. Now the company is lucky if they can get ten people to an audition held once a week and they have to pretty much hire anyone who applies. In turn, quality suffers. You may think it's rediculous for employees to expect more out of the company. I suspect, then, that you won't be complaining when you encounter less than magical cms on your next vacation.

 

[barnum42]

but more and more are leaving and it's getting harder to find those who will. For example, when I auditioned for entertainment ten years ago there were ten thousand people at my audition. It lasted 11 hours. Auditions were held every three months. For every ten people who applied for a job with Disney, only one got hired. Now the company is lucky if they can get ten people to an audition held once a week and they have to pretty much hire anyone who applies.

I went along to a cattle call in London for Paris/Tokyo/Cruise. There were propably sixty there. Cattle calls for any other production will wrap around the block. I guess word is getting around that the pay is not great.

For what it's worth I had a great audition - never mind a one minute monologue and sixteen bars I did an into monolouge and the whole song including speech mid way through it. The fifteen who went in ahead of me only got the sixteen bars. However, nothing came of it. So I keep myself in the "real job" world. Much as I would love to work in entertainment at Disney World, there is the problem of being British, plus I'm used to earing enough from one job to pay my bills and put food on the table without too much worry.

 

[PhotoDave219]

I guess the biggest problem that i see, from my perspective anyhow, is seeing upper management get bonuses and the CEO get bonuses - just for doing their job - while we get nothing more than a harder and harder time to make ends meet.

WDW used to be THE place to work in Orlando. Peopel fought to get an interview because of how well the employees were treated and compensated. Of course, this is now ancient history. I still make less then when i did in college....

 

[barnum42]

I’ve been keeping back from commenting here, as many people know where I stand in relation to soulless corporations sans morals. I end up being called a lefty communist.

But…..

There seem to be two sides to this argument:

On one side we have the argument that it would not be a bad idea to reward hard work and a job well done, regardless of where on the food chain a worker is.

On the other side we have the Holy Book of “Economics and Profit at All Costs.”

I’ve not trained in economics; I don’t want to be, as it would sit badly with my conscience – that’s why I left Dixons group in England. But somehow there has to be a decent way to reward everyone for a job well done. And I mean in a substantial way, not just sticking a Polaroid of them on an “Employee of the Month” chart.

I’m not saying that every comrade should get the same pay. I know that someone further up the ladder has to deal with bigger consequences to their decisions or has specialised skills, and so should get paid more than a person wiping down a urinal. BUT, the chasm of that difference has to be questioned.

Just because the author of some economic strategy says that to make $X billion profit you should treat the lower workers like crap and pay them less than crap, but give the board multi-millions does not make it morally right.

We bemoan the fact that Joe Public is getting more aggressive and nasty – can it be that as their managers are being more aggressive and nasty to make a buck that it’s becoming infectious further down the corporate ladder? Give it some thought.

I’m not talking about having an all out revolution against the evil corporate overlords. I’m just suggesting that a little decency for all in place of greed for a few would not be a bad thing.

Don’t attack folk for saying “Hey, wouldn’t it be great to be nice to people for a change?”

:wave:

And as an illustration of how comical corporate management can appear, here is a joke that did the rounds a while back that you may or may not have seen:

The Americans and the Japanese decided to engage in a boat race. Both teams practiced hard and long to reach their peak performance levels. On the big day they felt ready. The Japanese won by a mile. The American team was discouraged by the loss. Morale sagged. Corporate management decided that the reason for the crushing defeat had to be found, so a consulting firm was hired to investigate the problem and recommend corrective action.

The consultant's finding: The Japanese team had eight people rowing and one person steering; the American team had one person rowing and eight people steering.

After a year of study and millions spent analyzing the problem, the consultant firm concluded that too many people were steering and not enough were rowing on the American team. So as race day neared again the following year, the American team's management structure was completely reorganized.

The new structure: four steering managers, three area steering managers, and a new performance review system for the person rowing the boat to provide work incentive.

The next year, the Japanese won by TWO miles!!!

Humiliated, the American corporation laid off the rower for poor performance and gave the managers a bonus for discovering the problem.