I’m not asking who you “know”...was the wife a CP turned hourly?
No. Started in resort merchandise, got promoted to trainer (or coordinator or whatever they call it), then moved to animal programs, then moved to a more desirable role in animal programs. So she advanced three times in three years simply by showing up with a positive attitude and solid worth ethic.
The problem with your $11/$15 theory is that those numbers still suck in the context of the economy.
The idea to “hold the line” on the bottom of the low end is econmically not feasible unless it is combined with price controls.
You can’t say “prices are worth what the market says” and then say “people are only worth what I say”...and you are doing just that. People must pay the prices.
Except labor isn't static, it's fluid. Regardless of whether it's $11 or $15, the people on the bottom rung today aren't the same people who will be on the bottom rung five years from now unless they're doing something to keep themselves stuck. Today's entry-level people should be developing, acquiring skills and experience, networking, and moving on. Then it's the next generation of entry-level workers who backfill them in the low-wage positions.
Real-life example. My father makes about $75,000 per year in a factory job that requires zero education, zero special certifications, and zero experience. He'll never be rich but he raised three kids in a decent house in a safe neighborhood and took us on vacation once a year. His company hires loads of people for lower-wage entry-level positions in their shipping and receiving warehouse before training them to be machine operators on the factory floor. The only requirements to move into the higher-paying positions are that you show professionalism and responsibility. We're talking about
basic stuff. Show up to work on time. Show up to work sober. Don't fall asleep on the job. Pass your drug test. Don't cuss out your boss or coworkers. Now, $75,000 per year breaks down to about $36 per hour, which should be a dream wage for someone with no education or special training. Yet the company
literally can't stay fully staffed with people who meet those basic requirements (on time, sober (drugs and alcohol), awake, and not an a-hole). People burn out in the entry-level positions even though there's a very lucrative career-track position on the horizon if they can only keep their heads screwed on straight. It's very difficult to be wealthy but that doesn't mean it's difficult to be un-poor. I have little sympathy for those who trap themselves in dead-end jobs due to poor decision making and then blame "the system" for their situation in life. It's not Trump's fault or Obama's fault or Bob Iger's fault or your union chief's fault. Own your own career and own your own life.
To compound the problem, Disney workers often voluntarily break what we'd consider normal economic expectations. They're so enamored with working for Disney that people who
should be developing and advancing are choosing to stay put just because they really really really want to work for Disney.
