Disney not subject to Anaheim’s ‘living wage’ ballot measure, judge rules - OCR/SCNG

[Old Mouseketeer]

So apparently the contract passed yesterday. Kids will be getting $18.50 an hour to be ride operators and street sweepers. Living Wage!

Disneyland employees vote for union contract, avoid strike

The tentative agreement endorsed by Master Services Council leadership raises minimum pay from $15.50 to $18.50 per hour — a 19% increase.

www.ocregister.com

No. Most workers under this contract will be making $17.50 now. It isn’t until 6/2023 that the base rate goes up to $18.50. I talked to an old family friend who works in attractions. They said that after the NO vote last month the reality sank in for people. Too many CMs can’t afford to go on strike. The unions wanted members to accept the offer. It’s insane to go on strike in the middle of a pandemic after being off for more than a year and just weeks before Xmas.

 

[SuddenStorm]

Can someone who understands this stuff way better than myself explain what would happen if Disney and the Union couldn't come to an agreement- obviously a strike, but let's say Disney and the union never come to an agreement- can Disney just say 'screw it', clean house, and restaff the park with non union employees?

What are the legal ramifications?

 

[TP2000]

Can someone who understands this stuff way better than myself explain what would happen if Disney and the Union couldn't come to an agreement- obviously a strike, but let's say Disney and the union never come to an agreement- can Disney just say 'screw it', clean house, and restaff the park with non union employees?

What are the legal ramifications?

Yes, that ultimate outcome is possible. But labor laws at both the federal and state level prevent that from happening for many months, perhaps a year or longer. A company can hire new workers to replace the striking ones, what unions call "scabs", but once the strike is over all the previous union workers get their jobs back and the scabs are replaced by them.

The most recent SoCal example of this was the big supermarket employee strike in the late 2000's. The supermarket union workers were on strike for a few months while the negotiations played out. Eventually the union workers voted to accept the offer and they all went back to work. The result was a massive re-organization in the supermarket industry in SoCal; Target and WalMart reorganized stores and now sell a lot more groceries than they used to, smaller non-union chains like Trader Joe's strengthened and expanded their market position in SoCal, etc.

It was widely seen as ineffective for the grocery store union's dues paying members, and ever since then a grocery strike has been off the table. No one wants to repeat it because the union members didn't gain anything but bills and heartache.

 

[TP2000]

No. Most workers under this contract will be making $17.50 now. It isn’t until 6/2023 that the base rate goes up to $18.50. I talked to an old family friend who works in attractions. They said that after the NO vote last month the reality sank in for people. Too many CMs can’t afford to go on strike. The unions wanted members to accept the offer. It’s insane to go on strike in the middle of a pandemic after being off for more than a year and just weeks before Xmas.

How that reality wasn't clearly obvious to them before they voted No the first time is beyond me.

If you're making a few bucks over minimum wage in an entry-level job easily filled by low-skilled 18 year olds and you have less than a month's savings in the bank, a strike is not an option for you.

I'm not sure who is to blame for thinking there is another option for these CM's; a delusional gaggle of CM's who got everyone riled up to strike, or union leadership who led those CM's on and made it seem like a strike was a viable option for any of them.

Either way, let's hope they remember that striking as entry-level, low-paid employees is not an option.

 

[AJFireman]

Looks like Measure L is back in the news. California’s 4th District Court of Appeal says Measure L does apply to Disneyland.

Disneyland spokesperson Suzi Brown said that company is “reviewing the opinion and considering our options.”

Anaheim city spokesperson Mike Lyster said: “We respectfully question the interpretation but need to analyze the decision in the days ahead to determine what it means.

Disneyland workers could get a pay hike to nearly $20 an hour after living-wage win

A California appeals court ruled that Disneyland Resort workers are covered by Anaheim's 2018 voter initiative requiring Walt Disney Co. to boost wages.

www.latimes.com

 

[uncloaking]

</cough>

.....Brandman’s defeat meant a majority of the City Council now opposed tax subsidies for Disney and other major corporations.

Aiming to restore its influence, Disney spent heavily on the next election. The resort poured more than $1.2 million into a political action committee that supported Brandman and two other candidates in the 2018 council races, helping to elect a new majority of members sympathetic to Disney. The company also backed Harry Sidhu, who was elected mayor.

Sidhu eventually exercised near total authority over decision-making, and unelected power brokers helped manage the mayor and other council members, Brandman said. Among those power brokers, he said, were Todd Ament, then the president of the city’s Chamber of Commerce, and Jeff Flint, a lobbyist who has represented the Angels and Disney and who shared offices with the chamber.

In a criminal complaint filed last year against Ament, the FBI alleged that he and Flint were “ringleaders of a covert group that appeared to exert significant influence over the City of Anaheim.”

They arranged secret retreats for power brokers and held so much sway that Flint drafted a script for the mayor about a bond measure — with the help of Nocella, whom the FBI described as a cabal ringleader “to some extent.” Nocella mocked Sidhu’s delivery of the script, according to an affidavit filed with the criminal complaint.

“[Sidhu] reads your script so poorly,” Nocella wrote in a text message to Flint reviewed by the FBI.

Sidhu, an alleged member of the cabal, resigned as mayor last year after being accused in another FBI affidavit of a slew of misdeeds in connection with a now-dead deal for the city to sell Angel Stadium, home of Major League Baseball’s Angels, to a company controlled by the team’s owner. Sidhu has not been charged and denied wrongdoing. Ament agreed to plead guilty to four felonies. Flint has denied wrongdoing. The federal documents do not accuse Nocella of criminal wrongdoing, and her attorney said her client is not a target of the investigation.


LA TIMES 7/25:

A politician’s downfall reveals a Disney exec and a secret ‘cabal’s’ power over Anaheim​

 

[el_super]

The resort poured more than $1.2 million into a political action committee that supported Brandman and two other candidates in the 2018 council races

Your AP dollars at work.

I am genuinely happy that most of this came to light ( finally ) and hope that Disney does a lot better in the future.

 

[flynnibus]

</cough>

.....Brandman’s defeat meant a majority of the City Council now opposed tax subsidies for Disney and other major corporations.

Aiming to restore its influence, Disney spent heavily on the next election. The resort poured more than $1.2 million into a political action committee that supported Brandman and two other candidates in the 2018 council races, helping to elect a new majority of members sympathetic to Disney. The company also backed Harry Sidhu, who was elected mayor.

Sidhu eventually exercised near total authority over decision-making, and unelected power brokers helped manage the mayor and other council members, Brandman said. Among those power brokers, he said, were Todd Ament, then the president of the city’s Chamber of Commerce, and Jeff Flint, a lobbyist who has represented the Angels and Disney and who shared offices with the chamber.

In a criminal complaint filed last year against Ament, the FBI alleged that he and Flint were “ringleaders of a covert group that appeared to exert significant influence over the City of Anaheim.”

They arranged secret retreats for power brokers and held so much sway that Flint drafted a script for the mayor about a bond measure — with the help of Nocella, whom the FBI described as a cabal ringleader “to some extent.” Nocella mocked Sidhu’s delivery of the script, according to an affidavit filed with the criminal complaint.

“[Sidhu] reads your script so poorly,” Nocella wrote in a text message to Flint reviewed by the FBI.

Sidhu, an alleged member of the cabal, resigned as mayor last year after being accused in another FBI affidavit of a slew of misdeeds in connection with a now-dead deal for the city to sell Angel Stadium, home of Major League Baseball’s Angels, to a company controlled by the team’s owner. Sidhu has not been charged and denied wrongdoing. Ament agreed to plead guilty to four felonies. Flint has denied wrongdoing. The federal documents do not accuse Nocella of criminal wrongdoing, and her attorney said her client is not a target of the investigation.


LA TIMES 7/25:

A politician’s downfall reveals a Disney exec and a secret ‘cabal’s’ power over Anaheim​

Thx for the share

I think the real story in there is Jordan Brandman is a unqualified, unbalanced, career puppet. The stories of influencers isn't really anything different there... nor is there really any true signs of vote control in many of the situations the Times article mentions. 'alliances' are not uncommon in politics. But the story is strong that Brandman is someone who is dependent on others and is easy to leverage because of it.

I mean all the noise about Ament/etc in the piece... he wasn't being investigated for influence or lobbying - but for fraud and embezzlement.

The coziness of the DLR lobbying isn't shocking.. nor is Disney 'placing' candidates places. But clearly they bet on a horse who couldn't really function under the load.

 

[DLR92]

</cough>

.....Brandman’s defeat meant a majority of the City Council now opposed tax subsidies for Disney and other major corporations.

Aiming to restore its influence, Disney spent heavily on the next election. The resort poured more than $1.2 million into a political action committee that supported Brandman and two other candidates in the 2018 council races, helping to elect a new majority of members sympathetic to Disney. The company also backed Harry Sidhu, who was elected mayor.

Sidhu eventually exercised near total authority over decision-making, and unelected power brokers helped manage the mayor and other council members, Brandman said. Among those power brokers, he said, were Todd Ament, then the president of the city’s Chamber of Commerce, and Jeff Flint, a lobbyist who has represented the Angels and Disney and who shared offices with the chamber.

In a criminal complaint filed last year against Ament, the FBI alleged that he and Flint were “ringleaders of a covert group that appeared to exert significant influence over the City of Anaheim.”

They arranged secret retreats for power brokers and held so much sway that Flint drafted a script for the mayor about a bond measure — with the help of Nocella, whom the FBI described as a cabal ringleader “to some extent.” Nocella mocked Sidhu’s delivery of the script, according to an affidavit filed with the criminal complaint.

“[Sidhu] reads your script so poorly,” Nocella wrote in a text message to Flint reviewed by the FBI.

Sidhu, an alleged member of the cabal, resigned as mayor last year after being accused in another FBI affidavit of a slew of misdeeds in connection with a now-dead deal for the city to sell Angel Stadium, home of Major League Baseball’s Angels, to a company controlled by the team’s owner. Sidhu has not been charged and denied wrongdoing. Ament agreed to plead guilty to four felonies. Flint has denied wrongdoing. The federal documents do not accuse Nocella of criminal wrongdoing, and her attorney said her client is not a target of the investigation.


LA TIMES 7/25:

A politician’s downfall reveals a Disney exec and a secret ‘cabal’s’ power over Anaheim​

This post should make Anaheim residents to be more vocal of how Disneyland Forward plan should project without Disney need of power of influence on the city.

 

[el_super]

This post should make Anaheim residents to be more vocal of how Disneyland Forward plan should project without Disney need of power of influence on the city.

To be fair to Disney, I think the recent events in Anaheim have shifted their stance a bit. The slower pace toward approvals for Disneyland Forward and the community outreach programs could be seen as results of the failed strong-arm tactics.

 

[TP2000]

This part of the Times article made me laugh. According to her LinkedIn, Carrie Nocella is still employed by Disneyland and works in TDA as their "Director, External Affairs".

Ms. Nocella helped write "scripts" for the Mayor to read aloud in city council meetings. And then she mocked his delivery of the scripts.

"They arranged secret retreats for power brokers and held so much sway that Flint drafted a script for the mayor about a bond measure — with the help of Nocella, whom the FBI described as a cabal ringleader “to some extent.” Nocella mocked Sidhu’s delivery of the script, according to an affidavit filed with the criminal complaint.

“[Sidhu] reads your script so poorly,” Nocella wrote in a text message to Flint reviewed by the FBI."

 

[DCBaker]

Update - the LA Times reports the California Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal from Disney on Measure L.

The California Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal from Disney as to whether an Anaheim wage law applies to its lowest-paid theme park workers —setting the stage for the Disneyland resort to boost wages for many of its workers.

Over the summer, the state’s 4th District Court of Appeal ordered up raises and back pay for “cast members,” as Disney calls its employees, in a class-action lawsuit filed on their behalf. The state Supreme Court’s decision to allow the appeal court’s order to stand represents a serious legal blow to the media giant.

“Disney’s at the end of the road in terms of appeals,” said Sarah Grossman-Swenson, an attorney representing Disney workers. “The appellate decision is clear that Disney is required to comply with the law. The only issue left is the amount of damages.”

-----

An Orange County Superior Court judge originally sided with Disney before a three-judge panel overturned the ruling this summer, citing a provision in a 1996 Disney expansion deal passed by Anaheim in which the city agreed to repay the company if it had to cover bond payments.

Disney filed an appeal with the state’s Supreme Court in August in which it claimed the appellate court redefined what a tax rebate is in a move that would “chill” public-private partnerships such as the ’96 expansion deal that brought Disney’s California Adventure, the Downtown Disney District and Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel into existence, going forward.

It appears the legal fight ends with this week’s decision.

“We are aware of the court’s decision and will be complying with the requirements of Measure L,” said Jessica Good, a Disneyland Resort spokesperson.

Anaheim spokesman Mike Lyster said the city “will continue to monitor how the court’s ruling is implemented.”

How many workers will be affected by the law’s implementation and the sum of back pay owed are unknown at this time.

The pay scale under the law is set to rise to slightly less than $20 an hour next year after being adjusted for inflation.

Grossman-Swenson called the raises and back pay owed a “big deal” for Disney workers.

“We know that thousands of them were not paid a living wage for almost five years in compliance with the law,” she added. “This will mean that they are entitled to their money and that can make a big difference in their lives.”

Full article below.

California Supreme Court ends Disneyland's fight against Anaheim wage law

The legal decision seems to mean Disneyland will have to boost the wages of many resort workers. The legal battle has been brewing since 2018.

www.latimes.com

 

[KeithVH]

Assuming they didn't see the handwriting on the wall a year ago or so and already built the last couple increases in for insurance against this result.

 

[DLR92]

Boo hoo for Disney.

 

[asianway]

Update - the LA Times reports the California Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal from Disney on Measure L.



Full article below.

California Supreme Court ends Disneyland's fight against Anaheim wage law

The legal decision seems to mean Disneyland will have to boost the wages of many resort workers. The legal battle has been brewing since 2018.

www.latimes.com

Drop a quarter in the AW was right jar

 

[uncloaking]

from today's LA Times...​

Disneyland workers primed for big salary bump after winning living-wage legal battle​

Marlene Hackett works most days in Disneyland at food stands in Critter Country, where she rolls the theme park’s famed churros in brown sugar and shovels buttery popcorn into buckets before handing them out to eager parkgoers.

But with an hourly wage of $21.25 after 13 years as a Disney “cast member,” Hackett, 53, struggles to keep her own cupboards full. So, shortly after dawn on a recent Friday, she was among scores of theme park workers picking up boxes filled with canned goods, pasta, bread and tortillas at a monthly food bank hosted by Workers United Local 50, Disney’s largest labor union......

...On Oct. 25, the justices said they would decline to hear an appeal by the Walt Disney Co. in a long-running class-action lawsuit that alleged Orange County’s largest employer was wrongfully skirting a living-wage ordinance passed by Anaheim voters in 2018. The decision cemented a July appellate court ruling that found the law indeed applied to Disney’s two Anaheim theme parks and resort workforce.

***​

 

[Phroobar]

View attachment 751744

Assuming they didn't see the handwriting on the wall a year ago or so and already built the last couple increases in for insurance against this result.

They will price increase anyway. The largest media company in the world can't possibility afford a $5 to $10 increase for it's cast members that make "the Magic!"

 

[Phroobar]

from today's LA Times...​

Disneyland workers primed for big salary bump after winning living-wage legal battle​

Marlene Hackett works most days in Disneyland at food stands in Critter Country, where she rolls the theme park’s famed churros in brown sugar and shovels buttery popcorn into buckets before handing them out to eager parkgoers.

But with an hourly wage of $21.25 after 13 years as a Disney “cast member,” Hackett, 53, struggles to keep her own cupboards full. So, shortly after dawn on a recent Friday, she was among scores of theme park workers picking up boxes filled with canned goods, pasta, bread and tortillas at a monthly food bank hosted by Workers United Local 50, Disney’s largest labor union......

...On Oct. 25, the justices said they would decline to hear an appeal by the Walt Disney Co. in a long-running class-action lawsuit that alleged Orange County’s largest employer was wrongfully skirting a living-wage ordinance passed by Anaheim voters in 2018. The decision cemented a July appellate court ruling that found the law indeed applied to Disney’s two Anaheim theme parks and resort workforce.

***​

The bigger story is why Marlene Hackett after 13 years is still working a minimum wage job at Disneyland. Why hasn't she acquired better skills and moved on to other careers?

 

[SuddenStorm]

This should be a two way street.

The argument needs to be- pay us more money but we'll operate the park above your expectations and deliver the best dang experience for the guests we can.

Having a union is a two way street. The labor is more expensive, but in return you get higher quality labor then if there wasn't a union.

Instead this has devolved into cast members who can barely do their jobs- the service and quality at the park is the worst it's been. Employee standards are the lowest they've ever been.

 

[CaptinEO]

The bigger story is why Marlene Hackett after 13 years is still working a minimum wage job at Disneyland. Why hasn't she acquired better skills and moved on to other careers?

Was there every a time a frontline Disney CM made enough to support a family?

I get housing and cost of living is much more now, but why stay in a job that isn't helping you meet your needs.

Even these increases can't be enough to make these jobs viable beyond a college/teen job.