News Disney World Cast Member unions to begin week of negotiations for wage increases, healthcare costs and more

[flynnibus]

Fine.

Living wage for the lowest common denominator. If someone earns more than they need, good for them - let them contribute more to the economy as a consumer.

Living wage for the lowest common denominator still means those 30+yr old people working entry level jobs are still struggling to make ends meet because an entry level job doesn't support their lifestyle. Back to square one with 'CMs can't afford to live'

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Living wage for the lowest common denominator still means those 30+yr old people working entry level jobs are still struggling to make ends meet because an entry level job doesn't support their lifestyle. Back to square one with 'CMs can't afford to live'

Why? What bill does the 30+ year old have that the 25 year old doesn’t?

 

[mkt]

Living wage for the lowest common denominator still means those 30+yr old people working entry level jobs are still struggling to make ends meet because an entry level job doesn't support their lifestyle. Back to square one with 'CMs can't afford to live'

Please define "their lifestyle"

This I want to know. Lifestyle implies some sort of luxury - so I want this defined.

 

[flynnibus]

Advocates define a living wage to mean that a person working 40 hours a week, with no additional income, should be able to afford the basics for a modest but decent life, such as, food, shelter, utilities, transport, health care, and child care. And they expand that to a family of four which would be 2 people working full time and 2 kids and being able to afford the same things.

Then what you find is a market of jobs that will refuse to hire people full time. Because if an employer has to support all that alone for EVERY employee - most jobs will simply not be sustainable and they will adapt by hiring people in limited amounts.

You're trying to define a happy life medium and then trying to apply it to all work. Well that's not going to function on the back of employer wages alone. Which is why no economy in the world works like that and the minimum wage in the US has not kept up with that ideal.

 

[flynnibus]

Why? What bill does the 30+ year old have that the 25 year old doesn’t?

Aren't you tired by now moving those goalposts so much? The post was

Person 1: An 18 year old living at home with his parents with no debt or bills
Person 2: Single mother of two small children who is the sole supporter and will require childcare when working
Person 3: Married father of four kids with house, cars, kids entering college in two years, and wife stays home to watch kids
Person 4: Retired person who owns house, has minimal debt, and has comfortable pension/investments

Do you really need me to explain the difference between person #1 and a 30+yr old person and what life expenses they are likely shouldering?

 

[the_rich]

Living wage for the lowest common denominator still means those 30+yr old people working entry level jobs are still struggling to make ends meet because an entry level job doesn't support their lifestyle. Back to square one with 'CMs can't afford to live'

So, my mother is a school aide in nyc. She makes $23 an hour(they are getting a 9% raise) but her Healthcare is also fully paid by the city. Being a school aide is definitely an entry level job and they make close to $50,000 a year if they work full time. That is enough to live in nyc, not luxuriously, but decently. So entry level jobs can pay a living wage.

 

[eliza61nyc]

Those questions are illegal to ask.

But they do point out the impossibility of the entire "living wage" target. It's a useless objective.
Every contract negotiation is enough to prove that. I remember the discussion a few years ago, 15/hr was the magic number. Now we'll it seems that is not enough. I do think the union will get a few dollars hike over the course of a few years and unfortunately inflation will make it such that for most, nothing will change.
Rinse and repeat.

 

[LittleBuford]

How about "no qualifications needed" - NQN

That works for me.

Honestly - this whole thing is about trying to avoid offending someone who can't look in the mirror and acknowledge the criteria of the job.

Sometimes the world just needs to stop trying to pamper people.

I think this underestimates the power of language. It’s not only (or even primarily) about offending the people to whom the label is applied; what we call something can shape the way it’s more broadly perceived. When a job is termed “unskilled”, it becomes easier to dismiss as undeserving of much respect or pay (as many of the posts in this thread demonstrate).

When people bemoan such shifts, they seldom reflect on their own acceptance of terminological changes that have already occurred. Is anyone really going to insist on “shopgirl” instead of “sales assistant”, or “housewifery” for “household management”?

 

[eliza61nyc]

Advocates define a living wage to mean that a person working 40 hours a week, with no additional income, should be able to afford the basics for a modest but decent life, such as, food, shelter, utilities, transport, health care, and child care. And they expand that to a family of four which would be 2 people working full time and 2 kids and being able to afford the same things.

And that's great but not every job is going to be that, nor should it. Just because someone shows up every day does not make the jobs wages worth more

 

[mkt]

I do think the union will get a few dollars hike over the course of a few years and unfortunately inflation will make it such that for most, nothing will change.

By law they will. The Florida constitution requires wages to keep up with inflation from 2027 onward.

 

[Disstevefan1]

Sincere question for the people using the term “living wage”:

If today at WDW Casting four people show up and apply for a job as a popcorn vendor on Main Street:

Person 1: An 18 year old living at home with his parents with no debt or bills

Person 2: Single mother of two small children who is the sole supporter and will require childcare when working

Person 3: Married father of four kids with house, cars, kids entering college in two years, and wife stays home to watch kids

Person 4: Retired person who owns house, has minimal debt, and has comfortable pension/investments

What should the hourly wage be for the popcorn vendor?

If all four are hired, what should each of their hourly wages be if different?

Thanks in advance for your specific response.

We really need an actual cast member to fact check, but we like to use as an example, "popcorn vendor" but I am guessing CMs are cross trained for many jobs and need to show up at different locations as needed.

I seem to remember, cast members getting receipt size printouts that tell them where to go throughout the day?

 

[the_rich]

And that's great but not every job is going to be that, nor should it. Just because someone shows up every day does not make the jobs wages worth more

Then we're at an impasse, because I think it should.

 

[eliza61nyc]

By law they will. The Florida constitution requires wages to keep up with inflation from 2027 onward.

Ooh, that will be nice, I don't know much about working in Florida except I heard that it's a great place to retire too but wages are some of the worst in the nation.

 

[mkt]

We really need an actual cast member to fact check, but we like to use as an example, "popcorn vendor" but I am guessing CMs are cross trained for many jobs and need to show up at different locations as needed.

I seem to remember, cast members getting receipt size printouts that tell them where to go throughout the day?

To a limited extend, they are cross trained.

IIRC, "Popcorn vendors" fall within F&B, and they'll likely be trained for other outdoor F&B spots in their area.

 

[Polkadotdress]

It would be interesting to see the side-by-side comparison of WDW CM perks VS Universal team member perks.

I do know that Universal gives all their team members a free frozen turkey for the holidays.

 

[Disstevefan1]

I do know that Universal gives all their team members a free frozen turkey for the holidays.

 

[Lilofan]

I do know that Universal gives all their team members a free frozen turkey for the holidays.

When Busch was a sponsor at Sea World Orlando approx 21 years ago with the free tasting of beer attraction at the park , each SW team member got a free case of beer for Christmas.

 

[Lilofan]

Richest country in the world yet we treat the lowest paid workers like scum, provide terrible education for their children, and then mock generation after generation for not simply fixing the cycle they are stuck in from the inside.

Also we use the power of the state to cripple the ability of the lowest paid workers to organize, at least in places like Florida.

Equal pay for equal work is a union motto. That's why only about 5% of workers in the South including FL are unionized. Racial equality is also a hot button and work in progress .

 

[Trauma]

Shifts in language happen all the time and have been happening throughout history (look into the etymology of the word “silly” for a particularly interesting example). If a suitable replacement is found for the rather unflattering “unskilled”, I can’t see the downside.

Great call them whatever you want.

Won’t change the fact that they are unskilled labor.

 

[mkt]

When Busch was a sponsor at Sea World Orlando approx 21 years ago with the free tasting of beer attraction at the park , each SW team member got a free case of beer for Christmas.

They weren't a sponsor. They were the owner.