Disney executives have come up with the answer to rock bottom Cast Member morale

[flynnibus]

I think that's a bit above and beyond to expect a company that you work for to also supply you with discounted living arragements.

It's common for seasonal employment and worker 'importing' programs. It was also something very common in the past, but eventually fell out of favor as people saw it being used to loop workers in full circle (see any number of 'company town' examples). It wouldn't be a stretch for such a large single site employer like Disney to work to help build affordable housing units in it's area... especially if it wanted to build employee loyality/longevity.

 

[flynnibus]

One thing that has been occurring in the hurricane capital of the world is that FL residents home insurance has been going up and up also due to the claims of many when a hurricane wrecks their area. Also one scam of contractors is that they complimentary inspect your roof then tell you you qualify for a new roof due to roof damage due to weather that came through your area. The contractors and you agree to a claim , you pay your deductible / you submit the claim to the insurance company for approval. Once approved you get a new roof. Multiply this insurance scam many times and no one should be surprised the homeowners insurance rates go up.

Insurance still approves the work as qualified/necessary or not - It's not a 'scam' - it's companies drumming up business through pro-active outreach. Just like your car dealer does a 'multi-point inspection' everytime you bring your car in for something simple.

 

[Lilofan]

Nice job deleting the words " be expected" out of my sentence. Labor reserves the right to say no, at any time, and capital has to deal with the consequences. That's how free markets work.

Are you saying that people should be forced into accepting physical jobs for non-living wages? A person can't say "no, I am seeking other employment?" Because that's the only way to disagree with my point.

Of course, physical jobs at low pay will continue to exist in 2021 and beyond and some will feel they have no option but to take it. But with this labor situation, people realized they do have other options at their skill level (the key ingredient that was missing before). Physical labor has become a "small labor pool" due to all the different types of jobs that have been created as economies grew and everyone else's reticence to do it. Small labor pools are ultimately hard to maintain at low wages. We accept this for skilled labor, but it's true with any type. In previous centuries we had large labor pools for physical labor. Now we don't.

You are saying no one should but in reality yes people accept these jobs - voluntarily. Physical labor, small labor pool? , is not reality if one knows anything about the service industry to name one industry like in the Sunshine State.

 

[Lilofan]

Insurance still approves the work as qualified/necessary or not - It's not a 'scam' - it's companies drumming up business through pro-active outreach. Just like your car dealer does a 'multi-point inspection' everytime you bring your car in for something simple.

End result - massive increases to current homeowners insurances and that's a fact. Multi point inspection example is irrelevant . The last time I checked someone who paid more than just an oil change doesn't affect my oil change. When someone tries to tell me I need a multi point on my car - I decline. Can't decline to pay when homeowners insurance rates keep going up.

 

[flynnibus]

End result - massive increases to current homeowners insurances and that's a fact.

The root cause is still - The storm - not the contractors. Do they push up claim %? Likely - but this is not a FL phenom at all, nor do they create fake claims, or is it any kind of 'scam'.

Here's another "scam" - companies will "chase" storms too... moving/expanding into areas recently hit by storms because they know there will be a spike of opportunity there vs their traditional footprint. This is common for siding/window/roofing companies. I know companies from VA that send workers as far as OH and parts of the Mississippi river region chasing opportunities.

So know what drives up insurance costs in FL? STORMS (that and the craziness where they let people build)

 

[Lilofan]

The root cause is still - The storm - not the contractors. Do they push up claim %? Likely - but this is not a FL phenom at all, nor do they create fake claims, or is it any kind of 'scam'.

Here's another "scam" - companies will "chase" storms too... moving/expanding into areas recently hit by storms because they know there will be a spike of opportunity there vs their traditional footprint. This is common for siding/window/roofing companies. I know companies from VA that send workers as far as OH and parts of the Mississippi river region chasing opportunities.

So know what drives up insurance costs in FL? STORMS (that and the craziness where they let people build)

The scam you may not be aware is fly by night roofing companies do a complimentary roof inspection several years after a hurricane and customers put in a claim for roof damage from windy weather. These scam artists even pull up weather reports to add to the claim of the homeowner. Two homeowners just on my street were part of this.

 

[lazyboy97o]

The scam you may not be aware is fly by night roofing companies do a complimentary roof inspection several years after a hurricane and customers put in a claim for roof damage from windy weather. These scam artists even pull up weather reports to add to the claim of the homeowner. Two homeowners just on my street were part of this.

Damage can go unnoticed and/or progress over years (see Surfside). A smaller weather event can also be a tipping point. The insurance company is not obligated to cover the work if damage does not actually exist.

 

[flynnibus]

The scam you may not be aware is fly by night roofing companies do a complimentary roof inspection several years after a hurricane and customers put in a claim for roof damage from windy weather. These scam artists even pull up weather reports to add to the claim of the homeowner. Two homeowners just on my street were part of this.

Uhh.. do you expect the roof to just heal itself? What does it matter if it's years later. If the shingles are damaged - they are damaged. Again, the insurance companies won't pay if they don't feel they should.

What you are pointing to is the idea that just because you don't know there is damage, doesn't mean the damage isn't there, or you may not know the consequence on the service life of the product... even tho your roof isn't failing right now.

Hail damage in particular chews up shingles in ways that do not result in immediate failure - but compromise the product and thus are eligible to be replaced when damage is enough.

 

[zulemara]

Well to be fair He has to factor in the cost of admission into what He pays our employees. As in, if someone is one of our actors that picks up trash, the right to enter Magic Kingdom each day costs about $115. Once you look at it like that, what we pay our employees makes a lot more sense!

- Sammy Jenkins, assistant to Bob Chapek

They can’t even spin math correctly. Sure it’s 115 a day, but an annual pass isn’t. So 41,975 (his value) down to 816(ish) dollars. Try again pencil pusher!

 

[Lilofan]

Sometimes companies are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. I work for a large company and years ago when word trickled in that morale was low, they scheduled a large company picnic for later that year. While there were plenty of people who were grateful and enjoyed the event (myself included), there were still plenty of cynics who said things like “now they think having a little picnic will just magically fix the problems.” These were the same people who were complaining before the picnic that management “never did anything to show they appreciated us.”

Lose lose situation.

And the cynics who have many years with the ABC company, how ironic is that!

 

[Lilofan]

Trust me, a good 85% of the cast members ARE that stupid!!

They love Disney, they get Disney ink, they married there spouse that they met at Disney.
Disney is there world.. and don't you ever dare say a bad thing about the mouse. They are that brainwashed.
Hell, if they could work for free in exchange for Tickets only, they would.

The other 10%, put up with it.. but laugh like hell behind there backs.

The 5% left that want to climb the corporate ladder, just suck it up and play along.

One good appreciation WDW did was to honor 92 year old cast member Alex Stromski at a flag raising ceremony at MK this year. He is a Navy veteran, joined at 17, retired as a Lt. Commander. Alex is currently a CM in MK operations. Alex, thank you for your service and thank you for making the magic!

 

[Tony the Tigger]

I'm sure this will have a profound impact on Cast Members and make them forget that they are overworked, undervalued and ready to be dropped as soon as the going gets rough.

Like every other job in the service industry going back decades. I worked 3 jobs most of the time. My motivation was upgrading my 15 inch black and white TV and maybe eventually getting cable.

I recognized I was unskilled and that was all I was qualified for. I also realized if I got a foot in the door, I was going to outperform most others and move up, which I always did.

I lived within my means as best I could, and did my best until I got into management. *Once you build your resume with relevant experience* you may qualify for a better job and not have to work 2 or 3.

Finally, 20 years ago I turned a side hustle into my own business, but that’s just started to really pay off in the last couple of years. I still work the equivalent of 2-3 jobs, but it’s for myself. With that many hours put in, I was not making $15 an hour many of those years - and I’m the owner.

When I was in retail management, I didn’t make more than $40K in the late 90’s in NJ. I did better (more like $40 an hour) bartending in Florida - though again, had to start out with crummy shifts and work my way up. That’s how it works. Nobody owes you anything but what you agreed to take as pay when you got hired.

I think the point is more that we shouldn't expect people to wear out their bodies for less than living wages.

That’s why hopefully we have those jobs in our 20’s. By our 30’s, we should be on the way up.

If you want more money per hour, it likely won’t be at a job you can learn in an hour. Improve yourself. Go to school. Yes, nights if need be. Invest in yourself. Take an entry level part time job in the field you hope to work full time later. Get a tipped job (they’re usually better paying than cashier jobs.) If you want Google-level perks, put in the effort to make yourself worth something to Google. Don’t expect it from Walmart (or Disney, for that matter, unless you’re in corporate.) Become a doctor, lawyer, architect. Or start your own business. Mine started with a $10 investment and has been a very slow burn.

This is life. This is reality. Not everyone gets a trophy. And a “living wage” has nothing to do with what a job (not a person, a job) is “worth.”

 

[ImperfectPixie]

That’s why hopefully we have those jobs in our 20’s. By our 30’s, we should be on the way up.

If you want more money per hour, it likely won’t be at a job you can learn in an hour. Improve yourself. Go to school. Yes, nights if need be. Invest in yourself. Take an entry level part time job in the field you hope to work full time later. Get a tipped job (they’re usually better paying than cashier jobs.) If you want Google-level perks, put in the effort to make yourself worth something to Google. Don’t expect it from Walmart (or Disney, for that matter, unless you’re in corporate.) Become a doctor, lawyer, architect. Or start your own business. Mine started with a $10 investment and has been a very slow burn.

This is life. This is reality. Not everyone gets a trophy. And a “living wage” has nothing to do with what a job (not a person, a job) is “worth.”

I absolutely agree. However, when you install floors for a living and are constantly fighting with company owners who don't know anything about installing floors (very common up here) who don't want to pay well or give close to decent benefits...there's a problem.

 

[Cesar R M]

Those statements might work if they were printed on the back of $1,000 bonus checks...

And the fact that higher management sees staff as a disposable resource.

 

[ImperfectPixie]

And the fact that higher management sees staff as a disposable resource.

It's despicable.

 

[Cesar R M]

I don't think you should limit it to just major corporations...plenty of people look at public sector employees (government employee's, teachers, etc.) the same way. One of the local school systems here just gave multi thousand dollar bonuses to administrators (I think nurses got it too...and they certainly did deserve it) and gave the teachers "challenge coins".

Thats because the current mayor billonaires and "famous entrepeneurs" spam us nonstop with the "the lower employee is as low as a slave and do not deserve to even afford to live" mentality of Wall Street.

 

[Walking Pluto]

Like every other job in the service industry going back decades. I worked 3 jobs most of the time. My motivation was upgrading my 15 inch black and white TV and maybe eventually getting cable.

I recognized I was unskilled and that was all I was qualified for. I also realized if I got a foot in the door, I was going to outperform most others and move up, which I always did.

I lived within my means as best I could, and did my best until I got into management. *Once you build your resume with relevant experience* you may qualify for a better job and not have to work 2 or 3.

Finally, 20 years ago I turned a side hustle into my own business, but that’s just started to really pay off in the last couple of years. I still work the equivalent of 2-3 jobs, but it’s for myself. With that many hours put in, I was not making $15 an hour many of those years - and I’m the owner.

When I was in retail management, I didn’t make more than $40K in the late 90’s in NJ. I did better (more like $40 an hour) bartending in Florida - though again, had to start out with crummy shifts and work my way up. That’s how it works. Nobody owes you anything but what you agreed to take as pay when you got hired.

That’s why hopefully we have those jobs in our 20’s. By our 30’s, we should be on the way up.

If you want more money per hour, it likely won’t be at a job you can learn in an hour. Improve yourself. Go to school. Yes, nights if need be. Invest in yourself. Take an entry level part time job in the field you hope to work full time later. Get a tipped job (they’re usually better paying than cashier jobs.) If you want Google-level perks, put in the effort to make yourself worth something to Google. Don’t expect it from Walmart (or Disney, for that matter, unless you’re in corporate.) Become a doctor, lawyer, architect. Or start your own business. Mine started with a $10 investment and has been a very slow burn.

This is life. This is reality. Not everyone gets a trophy. And a “living wage” has nothing to do with what a job (not a person, a job) is “worth.”

40k a year in the late 90s is equivalent to a 70k a year salary. So you had no discernible skill set but were able to make 70k a year. So you had it pretty easy then. People with mbas would love to make 70k a year in their late 20s. Retail management still pays in the 40s or 50s. Most people cannot become a doctor, lawyer or architect, plus the cost of schooling will put you in 100s of thousands of debt. Then you said you were making an equivalent of 66 an hour bartending. If you invested in stocks and hustled harder at that wage you could have retired by now. Nobody expects things handed to them they just want the same opportunities you had and others older had.

 

[DisneyGentlemanV2.0]

Nope. Instead they have spent the last year on coming up with "Cast Belief Statements."

Just a simple typo...

...they meant "Caste Belief Statements."

 

[danv3]

What a bizarre thread.

 

[Tom P.]

What a bizarre thread.

Compared to all the others around here? Eh. I'd say it's pretty average.