Disney IS Hireing. Currenty rates of pay enclosed.

[lawyergirl77]

Wow! Thank you so much for all of the information!!!!!!!!! I'm glad to hear that things aren't as bad as they sounded...

But no matter what, a great big THANK YOU to all of the CMs who truly are the heart and soul of WDW, and the reason why Magic lives there!

 

[Robfasto]

Not very good pay for Food Service... When I left Disney I was making $6.27 + shift diff for working 3rd shift and that was 21 years ago....

 

[Thelazer]

$6.95 VS $6.80... what another 30 cents for full time?
I'd hardly call that a good thing.

 

[CapnStinxy]

Not very good pay for Food Service... When I left Disney I was making $6.27 + shift diff for working 3rd shift and that was 21 years ago....

Adjusting for the increase in CPI (inflation), that's $11.61 in today's dollars. A little wage erosion in action there!

I found a site that showed a 1985 EPCOT one-day ticket with a face-value price of $19.50, which would be $34.61 adjusted for CPI increase.

One wonders at the comparison of executive salaries from 1984 to today...

 

[gsimpson]

Thanks so much

I would also like to add a hearty and very heart fealt thanks to all of the CMs at the parks AND the resorts who have made my many trips wonderful. The very very rare CMs who are having a bad day and sharing it make me appreciate the other 99% of you that much more.

 

[lawyergirl77]

Adjusting for the increase in CPI (inflation), that's $11.61 in today's dollars. A little wage erosion in action there!

One wonders at the comparison of executive salaries from 1984 to today...

*shocked gasp* Certainly you aren't insinuating that they have increased at an exponential pace!!! I mean, they work hard in their cushy air conditioned offices with their pwetty suits!! (so sayeth the lawyer, I know, I know...)

Even though I know that TWDC isn't doing anything differently from its other big-business counterparts, I'm still disappointed. While I'm happy to hear that many CMs are unionized and that they do have some benefits (don't know about the scope), the naïve little 6-year-old in me wishes that Walt's company would have been different...

 

[SimonLee5282]

Do most CM's have a 2nd job? I know the cost of living in FL is cheaper than up here in Boston, but that doesn't seem enough to live on... even though I'm sure there's CM's that work there because they want to and the $ isn't an issue.

Go CM's!! You all rock for making WDW what it is.

I am from South Florida, and I have been looking at housing cost over the past five years all over florida. It has almost doubled in centeral florida in five years (S.FL has trippeled in some spots) It is probably cheeper than Boston, but you are looking about 180-250 thousand for a 3 bed 2 bath with 1500-2000 sq feet, enough for a family of four to six to live in a deacent neighborhood.

So yes, it is uncommon for a family with no college educatin for the father to work two jobs, and the mother to work a single job to make ends meet. That is why college is so important in Florida.

As far as a cast member, I would love to work at Disney once I retire from the Air Force in 18-20 years. I have always wanted to be a monorail pilot there. ever scence i was a little kid.

 

[SIR90210]

This is certainly good reason to get a driver's liscense. Buses, here I come!

 

[miles1]

I was just wondering how often raises or employee reveiws are given. Are raises performance based, or governed by union agreement? Are the raises generous enough to make up for the low starting salaries?

 

[Sapphire]

"Equity" characters are ones like the Streetmospheres at MGM, Cinderella in Cinderellabration and some people in Festival of the Lion King. They are equity because they went to a separate audition and make a different amount of pay.

Just to clarify what WDWKat stated...Equity covers those who are mic-ed while performing a "character"(this is why Cindy in Cinderellabration is equity, but when you meet her in the park or watch parade, she is not.) or who are following a script (Jamie in Playhouse Disney, the host in Millionaire etc) Equity also covers singers and dancers, such as those in FOLK and B&B. Their contracts are for a year, and they have to negotiate their contract when it expires each year.

People who dance in the parades, and now in some shows (like Cinderellabration) are not Equity but are in the character Dept (which is covered by Teamsters..yes the same union as bus drivers...go figure) The difference there is technical...character performers arent allowed to do kicks above the waist (although it does happen), do double turns, or lifts over head. there are exceptions to the rule and there are many other things that separate characters from Equity, but that's just the tip of the iceburg.

WHEW!

 

[Sapphire]

I was just wondering how often raises or employee reveiws are given. Are raises performance based, or governed by union agreement? Are the raises generous enough to make up for the low starting salaries?

Saddly, no. They are given for your time with the company, not your performance. Usually a small increase on the anniv. of your hire date, but that's only until your 5th year, then you are considered "topped out" and no longer recieve yearly raises. They are also union based. But as of late, they are very small percentage increases. So when you factor in the increase of living costs and the rise in health care benefits, CM's who are "topped out" really havent had a raise in years.

 

[lawyergirl77]

Just to clarify what WDWKat stated...Equity covers those who are mic-ed while performing a "character"(this is why Cindy in Cinderellabration is equity, but when you meet her in the park or watch parade, she is not.) or who are following a script (Jamie in Playhouse Disney, the host in Millionaire etc) Equity also covers singers and dancers, such as those in FOLK and B&B. Their contracts are for a year, and they have to negotiate their contract when it expires each year.

People who dance in the parades, and now in some shows (like Cinderellabration) are not Equity but are in the character Dept (which is covered by Teamsters..yes the same union as bus drivers...go figure) The difference there is technical...character performers arent allowed to do kicks above the waist (although it does happen), do double turns, or lifts over head. there are exceptions to the rule and there are many other things that separate characters from Equity, but that's just the tip of the iceburg.

WHEW!

I know it's wrong, but I would have loved to have been one of the lawyers involved in that collective agreement. It sounds like the kind of exercise in absurdity that I love about my job... :hammer:

I would love to see the union grievance that would involve someone complaining about a dancer in the parades mistakenly kicking above her waist...

 

[Fantasmic!329]

Thanks to all the CMs who make so little, but give so much.

 

[Sapphire]

I would love to see the union grievance that would involve someone complaining about a dancer in the parades mistakenly kicking above her waist...

It's not like that exactly...it's all very foggy. The routine that's choreographed can't include those things...what happens out on parade route is the discression of the unit. (this is why you may see the Candycane Maids or Showboat dancers durring the Christmas filming doing high kicks) Then you have the case like the Soldiers in the old Mulan parade...we did high kicks and fan kicks above the waist, but it was labeled as "Martial Arts choreography" not a dance routine...so they were able to get away with teaching those moves.

It takes a long time to learn all the loop holes, and even then, they are always changing...

 

[mkt]

eh... the WDW unions are considerably powerless in comparison to other unions around the nation. The rules are regularly broken, and the union does almost nothing about it.

Unions have no place in Florida.

 

[barnum42]

The poor pay is why I kicked into touch the thought of being a character performer. I've done it in my old job and thought it would be fun to do it at Disney. But a bloke has to eat and put a roof over his head.

Kudos to the CMs.

 

[joshwill]

any idea what security gets?

 

[imamouse]

Saddly, no. They are given for your time with the company, not your performance. Usually a small increase on the anniv. of your hire date, but that's only until your 5th year, then you are considered "topped out" and no longer recieve yearly raises. They are also union based. But as of late, they are very small percentage increases. So when you factor in the increase of living costs and the rise in health care benefits, CM's who are "topped out" really havent had a raise in years.

This is outrageous! Are the CMs compensated is any other ways to make up for the lack of annual increase in salary (additional vacation time, etc)?

I enjoy taking time to speak with and thank CMs when I am at WDW, and offer the same THANK YOU to CMs on this board. You make a huge impact on guests experience and should be appreciated and rewarded!!!

 

[WDWKat26]

Just to clarify what WDWKat stated...Equity covers those who are mic-ed while performing a "character"(this is why Cindy in Cinderellabration is equity, but when you meet her in the park or watch parade, she is not.) or who are following a script (Jamie in Playhouse Disney, the host in Millionaire etc) Equity also covers singers and dancers, such as those in FOLK and B&B. Their contracts are for a year, and they have to negotiate their contract when it expires each year.

People who dance in the parades, and now in some shows (like Cinderellabration) are not Equity but are in the character Dept (which is covered by Teamsters..yes the same union as bus drivers...go figure) The difference there is technical...character performers arent allowed to do kicks above the waist (although it does happen), do double turns, or lifts over head. there are exceptions to the rule and there are many other things that separate characters from Equity, but that's just the tip of the iceburg.

WHEW!

Thanks Sapphire!!! :wave:

And for all the people who think that Characters don't make enough, yeah it's true we don't. BUT, when I went to casting to apply for entertainment, and since I started the job, it has been 100% because I have wanted to do it for so long, not because of the money. Coming from NY I was making well over $8 an hour, but I hated my job. I only make 6.95 as a friend of Pluto's, but I love what I do and that matters so much more. In NY I could barely work 5 hours, because i'd want to pull my hair out after that. With Disney, I can work 10 hours easy.

 

[Sapphire]

Thanks Sapphire!!! :wave:

Sure thing!!