Cast member strike vote, June 6, 2007

[mousermerf]

Disney doesn't give them a choice Work or find a new job.

And many of them will quit.

 

[Hakunamatata]

It's not required to be a CM... during traditions a union rep will hand out cards to join. You can choose not to join.

Cool. Well, in 20 years when I retire to Fla (if its not underwater :lookaroun ) and want to work seasonally for the Mouse driving buses or boats, these types of issues may not even be around....

 

[JRob2k1]

and if your union CMs are gone, who are your trainers?

Trainers do not have to be a union member.

 

[mkt]

And many of them will quit.

That's not something that your or I can predict accurately. Loyalties will be questioned, that's for sure... some will leave, but I predict most will stay.

When my old company was having labor disputes, and the office staff was moved to front-line roles, I remember one 1 person resigning.

This was one in 1,000... in a major pro-Union city.

 

[mkt]

I almost forgot to count in CM's who cross the picket lines. There will be plenty of those that don't want the loss of income.

 

[mousermerf]

Trainers do not have to be a union member.

Attractions trainers are usually union. Not all, nor is it a requirement, but most.

I can tell you right now they'd have to choose to shut some attractions down because of the number of CMs they'd lose.

 

[Hakunamatata]

That's not something that your or I can predict accurately. Loyalties will be questioned, that's for sure... some will leave, but I predict most will stay.

When my old company was having labor disputes, and the office staff was moved to front-line roles, I remember one 1 person resigning.

This was one in 1,000... in a major pro-Union city.

I would tend to agree. The security of having a job vs leaving for the unknown tends to win out. Plus, I dont think Universal or Sea World has that many openings.....

 

[OneLuckyMom]

All I can say is that if the CMs go on strike and it hasn't been resolved by a couple of weeks before our vacation, I'll cancel our vacation there and eat the cost. It's not that I refuse to cross the picket line or anything, it's I just can't imagine the experience being the same. I don't see how service wouldn't suffer, and I would be concerned about the safety of rides with an overwhelming number of new, hurriedly trained employees manning them.

And I'm sure I'm not the only guest that would feel the same....

 

[WhyteAL]

In theory, everything you said is true. The real world operates alot differently. Disney has had the luxury of having the "pick of the crop" for many years. One, because they were the only real game in town and two, because they were Disney and everyone wanted to work for Disney.

Going back a number of years, the cost of living in Florida was cheap compare to the rest of the country. Over the past several years, with the increase in the cost of housing (which has affected most every part of the country, and not just Florida), increase in homeowners insurance premiums, and property taxes, it's not as cheap to live here as it once was. The companies down here (and I'm not just talking Disney) have been reluctant to increase wages to keep up with these costs.

Add to that, the growth of places like SeaWorld, and Universal, and all of the other growth that has come about in the Orlando area in terms of jobs and it becomes harder and harder to find people to fill vacancies, especially when the pool of available people is the same or smaller.

Eventually, wages will have to go up, but right now, no one wants to be the first to open the flood gates and start paying more than anyone else.

to add to the delema if I'm not mistaken Florida is a right to work state...no unions needed you could be let go for any type of reason...so as a previous middle managent poster put it: "if you don't like your job, leave and I will find someone else to fill your shoes". Which I don't agree with those tactics but Florida seems to be filled with those types of managers...unfortunatley. The rise in helathcare is horrible not to also mention that if you live in Florida you need a car. No if ands or buts about it. Which in turn forces you to pay higher gas prices. But eventualy this is a circle and the end of the circle is when people here end up having no money left after income, or after they eat up all there equity on there homes, they will not be able to afford Orlando vacations therefore hurting tourism dollars to the orlando area. Unless something changes...like insurance premiums, lowering of intrest rates, lowering of taxes, or lowering of healthcare/universal healthcare. But the system in florida is slow to change and usually is reactive instead of talahassee being proactive.

Opps! least I forget current water management issues that would most likely not allow taxes to decrease in this state! So people sit tight do what you think is right. I think that there is a middle ground to be found here. And maybe an arbritor would not be a bad idea. Good luck to all sides.

 

[OmegaKnight]

This is exactly why I refuse to get involved in the politics of the unions at Disney. It takes the fun out of working there. I personally think some people should keep their mouths shut about how much they dislike the company and working there. It makes the CM's (like myself) who really do enjoy making magic for the guests everyday look bad.

 

[JustPlainBill]

Disney Management has a contingency if this thing goes south, you can believe it. I work as a manager in a union shop currently, when the union's contract was up for renewal last fall we (management) had resources all ready to move in to keep our customers served, in case the workers decided to strike. Whether it was managers running the equipment or outsourcing the work to others it would have happened fast. Fortunately the workers approved the contract and we never had to do it.
I have seen some very big strikes in my area by some very big companies in the past, some of these strikes lasted for years. Would you be willing to hold out that long? I couldn't. Bottom line, the company has to be profitable and the customer has to be satisfied anything less spells disaster and the worker will be the one to pay the cost. Anyone can be replaced, unions are just not as effective anymore, and I agree with others who have posted here that say unions only protect the workers who are the verge of being fired for not doing their job. I have seen it, it is true.

 

[JWG]

This is exactly why I refuse to get involved in the politics of the unions at Disney. It takes the fun out of working there. I personally think some people should keep their mouths shut about how much they dislike the company and working there. It makes the CM's (like myself) who really do enjoy making magic for the guests everyday look bad.

This is the problem with the internet in general, everyone has too open of a forum sometimes. I'm all for open debate in the appropriate place, but this just doesn't seem like the right place. CM's debating the pros and cons of their current contract up for vote certainly shouldn't take place in the WDW News and Rumors thread of a fan site. Not that those conversations shouldn't take place somewhere - just not here.

I get that I don't have to read the thread. Unfortunately, I have a trip planned in July and the 3 factual posts about the current situation mixed in with the 100 opinion posts are important to me.

I'm not suggesting the discussion is bad or inappropriate, just that its happening in the wrong place.

 

[MythBuster]

A big problem at Disney is that a lot of people aren't Union members and even those are, don't really participate. If the STCU contract covers 29,000 people and only about 6000 people vote, that is not very good participation and Disney knows it. and if they actually have a strike, How many people will actually strike? maybe 2,000? they can be easily replaced with other workers or overtime or Extra hours from people from other departments. So it wouldn't be a very effective strike and Disney knows that. It would be just bad publicity.

How many people actually show up at the Union meetings? maybe a couple of hundred, Disney knows that also. The only way a strike is effective is if everyone goes on strike at the same time. Then, that would get Disney's
attention.

Everyone talks about the UNION as a separate company or something? The UNION is the employees!! not the Union management. They just manage the UNion and help it's members. If you don't like the UNion management, next election, vote someone else in there.

The UNION is about UNITY and everybody sticking together, but usually everyone is just looking out for themselves and don't care what happens to their brother or sister.

Does Union mangement vote on the contract? NO!! Does Disney management vote on thee contract? NO!! The only people that vote on the contract are Union members who are Disney cast members. So if the contract passes or fails if it is up to the cast members who care about their working conditions and their future.

 

[majortom1981]

worried

I am going in july also and I am worried. I d tend to think that they would do the best to keep the major attractions open and major stores and have less cleaning crew.

Does anybody know wich positions are the ones that are unionized?

 

[sophiesmom]

Yeah now that you mention it I do remeber being payed a little bit more becuase I was a lifeguard plus there were tons of opportunties to pick up overtime. I still spent all of my money shopping or drinking so the only thing I had to show by the end of the summer were 5 quater hour credits and a great tan!!!

 

[disneydata]

Attractions trainers are usually union. Not all, nor is it a requirement, but most.

I can tell you right now they'd have to choose to shut some attractions down because of the number of CMs they'd lose.

I'm a trainer and not a member of the union. In fact, most of the trainers I know are not union members.

 

[IcicleM]

I'm going to be moving down to Florida in August. A LOT of the reason is to work for Disney. I know a lot of the horror stories, especially with the way Disney treats its employees, but I love it so much, that's the sacrifice I want to make. But I feel that when I do work there, I will find a happiness in it somewhere. I certainly don't want to be working Food and Drink, but if I could, I would show up to the vote and vote no just because if no one does, then who WILL stand up for all the food service people?

I love Disney, and I WILL work for the "smiles on people's faces", however, like someone else said, I DO need to clothe myself, and I'm eventually going to go to school and go into Management. However, if and/or when I do become a manager so and so many years down the road, I have always vowed to be different than other managers I've worked with. Sure, I'll allow them to train me and tell me the basics, but that view of "If you want to quit, fine, I'll find someone to replace you" is not going to be one of my views. Those managers that do say it... well... I think there needs to be some kind of full on strike to show them they just can't treat people that way.

But... *sigh* Like someone said, Florida is one of those free to work states and not everyone can be union, so it's impossible to have that sort of strike. We can only hope that something will be changed eventually.

 

[wedway71]

Well I have managed for all of my working life not to be in a Union.I grew up in Florida.Every raise I have ever gotten was due to my hard work not a Union.I managed to after getting out of the Air Force work hard as an hourly position at a Super Market chain into Mgt.Then I went to bigger chain and then another then Coca Cola and now Im an Exec with Target.I worked hard to get my MBA.
Im 36 years old and have never used or been part of a Union.I have worked in the "right to work"state most of my career and did very well.

Im not pro or anti Union but from what I have heard from others that are Union(freinds) that the amount of money in dues they pay really doesnt even cover the benefit of having one in the first place.

I hope the CMS and Disney reach common ground here.

I do think about a 100 years ago Unions were needed when kids were working 20 hours a day non stop with no breaks in horrible conditions but I now wonder who really benefits from them.The Union or the employees?????

 

[Eyorefan]

Okay so as a person who works for a lawyer who defends large corporations in arbitrations and negotiations with their labor unions I have always wondered just how much unions really protect the average worker.
I bet if you took the amount of money our cleints are forced to spend defending themselves against employees who have been fired for assulting/harassing other employees, coming to work drunk and or high, ignoring safty rules, lieing about a disablity, (the list goes on)... it would be in the millions ever year.
Millions of dollars that could, hypotheicly, be used to pay their employees more instead of a bunch of lawyers and arbitrators.
And what do the employees get out of having the ablity to file a greiveance when they get fired? They get to go to work everyday with people not doing their jobs and ignoring their work rules because it cost to much for the company to fire anyone.

 

[Deadmanwalking]

they are asking us to pay the same costs for health cars as the managers and vps. Same for every employee, whether you're Bob Iger or just started working attractions yesterday. Basicly they are increasing our pay $0.40 per hour per year. so $1.20 in 3 years. Unless you are already topped out, in which case you get $0.22 an hour raise each year. but the Health care increase negates any actual raise in pay. we would in fact be bringing home less money, and with cost of living going up, the money we do bring home, will be worth less than it is now. we are voting whether to accept this contract or reject it and go on stike in hopes to get a decent contract. i have a months pay in the bank just in case we have to strike, and i am willing to do it, if it means a better contract and pay in the long run.

Welcome to the real world. Where I work, the standard 4% raises this year were more than off-set in increases to the cost of health insurance.

While I wont begrudge anyone for trying to get more money, I'll have to side with management on this one - the prices I pay at Disney are already too high and any raise they give you will be passed on to patron in even more expensive sodas.