Fall of 2005 Eisner and Iger visited India , meeting with the PM of India and scouting around to build a Disney theme park in Dehli.
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News Disney World Cast Member unions to begin week of negotiations for wage increases, healthcare costs and more
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
SaintsDisneyFan
New Member
Agreed (and not just because you have ALF as your avatar). When you get a pay increase, you have that temporary feeling of being satisfied and happy with getting more money you previously weren't receiving. Before long though you start to get the feeling that maybe you could be earning even more and you feel frustrated and annoyed with your job again. It's not just about the money, it's also about your working environment which includes how management treats you, how your coworkers make the workplace, etc.
So your answer is don't offer a pay increase at all and let those people fall further and further behind? I'm sorry but I disagree with this mentality. Not everyone is in a position where they can try to move up or find another job. Some might not have the skills to do it, others might have other considerations (family, going to school etc.). I don't think anyone is arguing that this raise is life changing money but it does help Cast Members from just falling further behind.
I'm having trouble seeing where Disney building a park in India would overlap with a park in Orlando. Two totally different markets. If Disney abandoned WDW and built a park in India the typical crowd that goes to WDW isn't going to say "well guess we need to go to India now".
This is another problem that I've seen on this board. The idea that Orlando will cease to exist if Disney ever left (it's come up obviously in the last year with all the political stuff going on) and it just isn't true. The people who make this comment definitely come off as people who think Orlando is just Disney, Universal, SeaWorld, I-Drive and OIA. The people who make this comment come off as people who have never been north of I-Drive. Yes Disney is a large part of why Orlando went from a sleepy town to the city it is today. Yes if Disney had never build WDW Orlando is probably more the size of Lakeland or Tallahassee. And yes through the 70s, 80s and probably even most of the 90s Orlando was largely dependent on Disney (and to a lesser extend Universal and SeaWorld).
With that said, we're well past that point now. I know for some of you this will be hard to believe but the majority of my friends here in Orlando don't work for Disney. If Disney left tomorrow they would be just fine. Tourism is still the #1 industry in Orlando but it's not the only game in town. In fact if you go to Downtown Orlando and north of downtown those areas are largely separate from the tourism industry and the theme parks. You wouldn't even know Disney and Universal were close and the majority of those people have no connection to the tourism industry.
Yes if Disney left Orlando it would hurt Orlando a good amount. Osceola County and Kissimmee would by far be hurt the most. But it's no different than other cities. Detroit would be hurt bad if GM left. Atlanta would be hurt bad if Delta left. Seattle would be hurt bad as Boeing left. Los Angeles would be hurt bad if Hollywood left. But Orlando would not cease to exist if Disney left. Honestly I think Orlando has gotten to the point where Disney needs Orlando more than Orlando needs Disney. If Disney left tomorrow Orlando still has Universal, SeaWorld, Legoland, Kennedy Space Center, Port Canaveral and the nearby beaches. Many people would still come to Orlando and fly through OIA. Heck some company could probably end up buying the former Disney properties, re theme the parks and then re open the parks. It would take a lot but it could be done.
I think many of you on this board overstate Disney's importance to Orlando. Orlando would be hurt by Disney leaving, there's no debate there, but Orlando would survive, move on and honestly at this point I don't think Orlando would even lose that many people. Probably 200-300,000 (between Disney employees who move back to California, employees who moved to Orlando just for Disney and leave and residents who were here just to be close to Disney and leave) people leave which still leaves probably around 2 million in the metro area. Again Osceola County and Kissimmee would get hit much harder but honestly Downtown Orlando and north Disney leaving wouldn't have much impact at all.
MrPromey
Well-Known Member
Most of the IT folks are already there so...Are we talking about the parks or their IT department
A number of WDW IT cast before they were laid off years ago were instructed to train their replacements which they did.
MrPromey
Well-Known Member
It's my understanding, they had to if they wanted to receive their separation packages.
GhostHost1000
Premium Member
That’s what I call dirty magic
The famed Zenia Mucha was the Disney PR exec queen who for the most part controlled the chaos and kept the dirty laundry from getting leaked to the media and public.
MrPromey
Well-Known Member
Actually, correcting myself, the jobs didn't go to India but what happened was just as bad - and did get plenty of national coverage.
People just have short memories.
Disney abused the H-B1 visa program to replace existing domestic IT staff with under-skilled people from India:
NYT - Pink Slips at Disney. But First, Training Foreign Replacements.
ORLANDO, Fla. — The employees who kept the data systems humming in the vast Walt Disney fantasy fief did not suspect trouble when they were suddenly summoned to meetings with their boss...
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You didn't mention of the few hundreds that were laid off from WDW IT after to train their foreign replacements in Orlando.
TrainsOfDisney
Well-Known Member
If your one of the more experienced on your team and you haven’t been there 2 years - this is obviously a job with lots of turnover. Kinda like a job…. In the parks.
Disone
Well-Known Member
Living up to your name? When and what was the change?
All I was saying it it was added as a benefit early in the life of the old contract.
MrPromey
Well-Known Member
Yes I did - that's exactly what I was talking about (and what the New York Times article in the link to my post you just responded to was referring to).
GrumpyFan
Well-Known Member
I’m not being grumpy, but yes, I’m a fan of Grumpy.
The number of credit hrs they would pay for per semester were reduced. Also they limited the number of applicants making it
more difficult to get benefits.
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Disstevefan1
Well-Known Member
This is a very impressive win! And it happened even when the cast members had a no strike clause. If my math is correct, as a result of this, WDW cast members now have a better deal than Universal Orlando team members.
Polkadotdress
Well-Known Member
I disagree. Constant churn with your job results in a situation where you don't regularly contribute to earn pension or 401K later in life. I am a long-term employee at my company, and as a result will net excellent retirement benefits and pay.
CastAStone
5th gate? Just build a new resort Bob.
I have no idea how it would impact 401K contributions and if you can actually find a job that is still offering new hires a pension that certainly changes the math.
But if you’re say a veterinarian who hasn’t switched jobs since 2008 you’re probably being paid 60% of a new graduate despite 15 years fewer experience. You gotta make moves for yourself periodically.
TheMaxRebo
Well-Known Member
many companies do a match to our 401K but you have to stay long enough for it to vest so if you are constantly changing jobs you can miss out on that (but probably make up for it in increased pay to make it worthwhile for you to move)
and sometimes there are other benefits to staying - like my company gives you an extra one time use 4 weeks vacation each 10 years you are with the company .... but if your goal is to maximize annual income changing companies is definitely the best way to go
Federal jobs and joining the military have pensions after 20 years of service as examples.
Brian
Well-Known Member
Here are some highlights of the new contract:
- Trainer and coordinator premium increased by $0.25 per hour
- Third shift custodial premium increased to $2.00 per hour
- Jungle Cruise CMs get a new $0.50 per hour premium and paid travel time to get to an indoor breakroom (the one at their location is outdoors). Interestingly enough, there is also now an "audition" and/or interview process to transfer into that location (this is not allowed for most unionized positions).
- Eligibility for 401(K), no company match (this is in addition to the existing union pension)
- Paid child bonding leave for eight weeks
- Reverts internal transfer eligibility back to the last contract (was 12 month waiting period, will go back to six)
- CMs must be notified of mandatory overtime no later than 60 minutes before end of their shift (was 30)
- Maximum of $3.00/paycheck increase in medical coverage each year
- Retro to expiration of last contract (October 2022) - $1.00/hour, minimum $16.00/hour
- Upon ratification of proposed agreement - $1.00/hour, minimum $17.00/hour
- 12/3/2023 - $1.00/hour, minimum $18.00/hour
- 12/1/2024 - $0.50/hour, minimum of $18.50/hour
- 9/28/2025 - $1.00/hour, minimum of $19.50/hour
- 10/4/2026 - $1.00/hour, minimum of $20.50/hour
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