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

[Lilofan]

That would be a valid argument if Central Florida’s wages weren’t already depressed overall due to its reliance on hospitality as its economic engine and failure to diversify.

Two huge income earners for the Sunshine State and a reason why property taxes are lower than other states - Tourism and Agriculture. Tourism employs documented and undocumented workers and one can figure out who works in the fields and processing plants in the agriculture trade.

 

[Disstevefan1]

Taking Universals lead, if WDW simply offered $17 now this thing would be over. At this point WDW looks bad if they don’t do it.

As for the Disney look stuff, just scrap that and look at folks on a case by case basis, there may be folks with too much ink or too many piercings, maybe they can’t hand out the popcorn, but there are plenty of other work for them backstage.

 

[Alanzo]

I will say it's really interesting to me the shift in attitude in a really short time. It used to be "how can I better my situation"and now it's " rich people, you owe me"

I wish the CM’s lots of luck

Yes, quite cromulent isn't it? After all, every single rich person completely deserves their situation and every single poor person completely deserves theirs, right?

 

[Lilofan]

Taking Universals lead, if WDW simply offered $17 now this thing would be over. At this point WDW looks bad if they don’t do it.

As for the Disney look stuff, just scrap that and look at folks on a case by case basis, there may be folks with too much ink or too many piercings, maybe they can’t hand out the popcorn, but there are plenty of other work for them backstage.

Disney may not offer $17 but negotiations ongoing with the unions both will come up with compromise to end this, cast get their back pay , after the unions eventually convince the cast to majority approve the contract. Rinse and repeat every several years. Both parties will declare victory and the media will be on top of this.

 

[mkt]

Eh, I live in the DC area and if you live in the burbs public transportation is somewhat useless for most areas. It is true, my wife has to leave the house at 5am to avoid hours of traffic. I’ve lived in Chicago, NYC, and LA before - but never Orlando. Getting around here is the worst

That wasn't the point, but I do get it.

Traffic was the reason I passed on a Nova based federal job that required in person work and instead took a private sector DC-based job that doesn't require DC visits, only home office visits to Detroit.

However, the DMV, even with its meh public transit is still miles better in that regard than Central Florida, where a public transit commute from lower income parts of Orlando to the theme parks for work will require someone to head out at ungodly hours as well.

 

[mkt]

Two huge income earners for the Sunshine State and a reason why property taxes are lower than other states - Tourism and Agriculture. Tourism employs documented and undocumented workers and one can figure out who works in the fields and processing plants in the agriculture trade.

And how's that relevant to my argument that wages overall are low in the area?

My wife's an attorney with over a decade of experience in her field, and is outearned by every single one of her colleagues that lives in another state. Granted, she still earns well, but it's the run on effect of having tourism and agriculture as your main drivers: everyone else's wages stagnate.

Add in several hundred thousand remote workers from out of state, all who earn better than comparable Floridians, and you see one of the largest reasons behind our housing shortage (also corporations purchasing homes and developers focusing on luxury and market rent properties rather than affordable ones)

 

[networkpro]

Just think if Disney America that was planned and ready to be built in Northern VA outside DC would have happened under Eisner. One slight hurdle that Disney could not navigate and backed off from the theme park being built - the angry locals who organized , fought , won and defeated the Mouse. DC transit running to the front entrance, perhaps.

And what did it get the NIMBYs ? More subdivisions and strip malls.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Disney hasn't appeared on my resume since 2009.

Missing my point that they taught you things to help in your eventual career.

But at least in the greater Central Florida area, there are so many crappy current and former CMs out there that poisoned the well, that having Disney on your resume isn't even close to a benefit.

Missing my point that it’s the actual training that is the benefit, rather than the resume.

“Crappy” CMs/employees (your word) are another wrinkle in this whole thing. Can’t keep “pity hires” anymore. Can’t afford them. Some people don’t have the intellect or attitude for certain jobs, and no amount of money will change that.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

$20 an hour should do it. Would be about $3000 a month after taxes in Florida. I'm going with about $1000 a month in rent.

It’s welfare paid through the company instead of through the government.

 

[eliza61nyc]

They realized that in a capitalist economy, their labor holds a certain value. So pay them or figure out how to run your already short staffed business.

But they are running it. That's the kicker, now we can agree they need more help but let's not delude ourselves, wdw is open and doing great business

 

[LSLS]

Taking Universals lead, if WDW simply offered $17 now this thing would be over. At this point WDW looks bad if they don’t do it.

As for the Disney look stuff, just scrap that and look at folks on a case by case basis, there may be folks with too much ink or too many piercings, maybe they can’t hand out the popcorn, but there are plenty of other work for them backstage.

I'm just wondering how much Iger's statements backed them into a corner (no price hikes, cut $5.5 billion). I put numbers out a while ago (and don't think anyone disputed them) that it would cost right around $4 extra in spending per day from each person to raise the wage of everyone there by like $2 an hour. Honestly, super easy to get to if you raise the price of QS meals and stuffed animals by like $0.50, which I'm not sure anyone would even notice. But did they already budget to do that at $16? They need a way for people not to notice price hikes to cover the added expense (assuming this only impacts 10,000 employees that work an average of 30 hours a week, that's over $15.5 million a year. No idea how accurate my assumptions are) so that they aren't going back on what he said.

 

[mkt]

Missing my point that they taught you things to help in your eventual career.

Some habits yes, but who will say that I wouldn't have picked them up with another employer? Also, a lot of what I learned at Disney was so Disney specific, that I had to forget it altogether.

“Crappy” CMs/employees (your word) are another wrinkle in this whole thing. Can’t keep “pity hires” anymore. Can’t afford them.

Disney doesn't have a choice. They're already absurdly short staffed.

 

[mkt]

But they are running it. That's the kicker, now we can agree they need more help but let's not delude ourselves, wdw is open and doing great business

They are.

And they're also absurdly short staffed.

You figure it out.

 

[eliza61nyc]

It’s welfare paid through the company instead of through the government.

It's worst than that @Tony the Tigger . It's welfare that does nothing to assist them in the long term. Two years from now they will be in the same predicament because the attitude is not one of "how can I get better " but of "you owe me, now give me more".

 

[Alanzo]

The minimum wage is a basic labor standard that ensures workers are paid a fair wage for their work.

Companies benefit greatly from their employees' labor and rely on government support (please don't get me started lol) in many ways, so it's not unreasonable for the government to regulate this aspect of the economy.

At the end of the day, a fair minimum wage benefits everyone, including companies who benefit from a stronger, more stable economy. As the saying goes, "a rising tide lifts all boats."

 

[networkpro]

That wasn't the point, but I do get it.

Traffic was the reason I passed on a Nova based federal job that required in person work and instead took a private sector DC-based job that doesn't require DC visits, only home office visits to Detroit.

However, the DMV - even with its meh public transit is still miles better in that regard than Central Florida, where a public transit commute from lower income parts of Orlando to the theme parks for work will require someone to head out at ungodly hours as well.

I left Nova after getting my degrees just because of economics and I even reverse-commuted from Arlington to Quantico because of the traffic. Its not an area I would recommend for anyone to live in.

 

[Drdcm]

That wasn't the point, but I do get it.

Traffic was the reason I passed on a Nova based federal job that required in person work and instead took a private sector DC-based job that doesn't require DC visits, only home office visits to Detroit.

However, the DMV, even with its meh public transit is still miles better in that regard than Central Florida, where a public transit commute from lower income parts of Orlando to the theme parks for work will require someone to head out at ungodly hours as well.

You’re good. I understood your point. Just taking the opportunity to complain about DC traffic lol

 

[Jrb1979]

I will say it's really interesting to me the shift in attitude in a really short time. It used to be "how can I better my situation"and now it's " rich people, you owe me"

I wish the CM’s lots of luck

How about pay your employees well regardless of the job it is. I've said it a few times the company I work for is a major retailer and one of the rules they follow is treat your employees well and pay them well and they will want to work for you. Somehow many here don't believe in that concept.

 

[eliza61nyc]

They are.

And they're also absurdly short staffed.

You figure it out.

For myself I have figured it out, don't spend my career in a low wage position but that's not the point.
1) yes they need more workers. Yet not only are the functioning they are thriving.
2) they're getting ready to layoff thousands more, now not sure how many in the parks will be effected but last number I saw was they're laying off 7k
3) people are still visiting. Didn't the last earnings call say the parks were probably the most profitable division in the company
4) as you mentioned before due to supply and demand it's not looking like rents are going to stabilize any time soon
Now to me that's handwriting on the wall that I'm not in a great bargaining position

 

[mkt]

I left Nova after getting my degrees just because of economics and I even reverse-commuted from Arlington to Quantico because of the traffic. Its not an area I would recommend for anyone to live in.

We're likely to move there because even with the higher taxes and cost of living compared to Orlando, putting my kid in a good public school there is cheaper than paying for a private school in Florida to give him an education of comparable quality.

And now that my wife's licensed to practice law in DC, she can try for jobs there which will undoubtedly pay her far more than she earns in Florida.