Yes, I've done that many times. But once I agree to the contract, I can't go back to the car dealership two years later and ask for the monthly payment to be changed in my favor. They'd laugh me out of the showroom.
So you've never re-financed anything? Must be nice to not have to worry about money.
I don't think unions are in the habit of negotiating a four year contract, and then going back and re-negotiating it halfway through when the employer suddenly decides to throw out the old pay scale.
They don't have to renegotiate the whole contract, just update the pay scale page in what is usually referred to as a sideletter.
That's not how union contracts are designed to work, and that sort of wage discussion is why negotiations happen when the current union contract is about to expire.
You do not seem to understand how contracts work.
If it's "not about a dollar amount", then what is it? We are talking about dollar amounts, by the way. That's what a wage is, a dollar amount.
So a couple things here... I have insisted that it isn't about a dollar amount because, as with many things, what is considered a fair and adequate wage, can really be seen as moving on a sliding scale dependent on many factors. What is comical and almost embarrassing is your ignorance in addressing most of these factors in your summary solution of just offering attractions Cast Members $15 an hour. You have completely ignored that higher seniority CMs may already be making over $20 to $25 dollars an hour, you have ignored rates for premium job classifications that can adjust the base wage and also the fact that some attractions are paid a premium just due to the physical nature of the attraction.
So unless you are prepared to start going down the list of how much a trainer at Autopia should be making, what's the point in setting a base wage of $15 an hour? There is none.
But secondly, and probably more important, you are refusing to acknowledge that setting some decree of "I think they should be paid X" ignores other factors that will play heavily into how much they are paid. If Disneyland finds themselves needing to hire back a large collection of CMs that have found other work, Disney will have to compete with those other jobs, and raise their starting wages accordingly. If a lot of those CMs ended up working for local grocery stores that are easily paying $20+ an hour, Disney will also have to offer a comparable wage to lure them back. Some may be happy to return at $15 an hour plus a Main Gate pass (which yes, you also did not factor in other benefits in your "detailed analysis" of how much a churro vendor should be paid) , so it will all depend on what their hiring numbers look like before they make necessary adjustments.
So it does not matter what you or I think the labor of a churro vendor is "worth", because the market will set the rate regardless.
And lastly, if you are really wanting to be supportive of your Cast Member friends, do not discount the pleas for a Living Wage, even if it's something that you cannot fathom or understand. While the concept of a living wage is something that is also nebulous and undefined, the basic premise of lifting people out of poverty, especially people that are willing to work 40+ hours a week, is still a noble goal that benefits Cast Members. It can mean anything from $30+ dollars a week, to, as you suggested "just a few extra dollars per hour" more.
If you really wanted Cast Members to earn a little extra, you wouldn't be laughing at their attempts to do so.
