I think there may be 2 conversations going on, one about minimum wage in general, one about wages in relation to Disney (who already pay substantially more than minimum wage).
A bag boy a legit job also, it’s just not one that I’d recommend as a career if you want financial stability. I’ve made a great living doing a job many find a “non real” job, I chuckle when people look down their noses at bartenders and servers because many are making more than the people acting superior, we often chuckle at the college educated folks talking about their $75k jobs and hundreds of thousands in debt. I also have huge amounts of respect for the trades and tell a lot of kids to become electricians, plumbers, etc… people tend to look down on those jobs also but they pay very well and are a door to independence and being your own boss.
Same. Bartending was my ticket out of the crushing hours and tough pay of retail management. It was far less responsibility, far more fun, far fewer hours, and far better money. Yes, there were shifts you went home with $30. Then there were shifts you went home with $500. Like any business, you start with the slow shifts, suffer through it and learn, build those shifts, and get promoted to better paying shifts when they open up. In fact, I had to start as a barback as well to get my foot in the door.
No matter what you do, unless you're very fortunate, there are dues to pay. It seems some people want to skip that part and think they are entitled to for no other reason than it sucks. It's also how you learn and improve.
No, I don’t agree that someone working for Disney Parks for multiple years doesn’t have “personal responsibility” - working ANY job full time means you have personal responsibility.
I think that’s the big difference to me.
A full time job should be a full time job with benefits, decent pay, etc.
A part time or seasonal job is what a student, retiree, etc would work.
Then we disagree. Not "any" full time job should support buying a home with a family. If you are 35 and live with your mother, you can probably afford to work at WDW as a cashier for the rest of your life, and then inherit your mother's house. All good. Life set.
If you're more ambitious, you have to act ambitiously. Staying a cashier at WDW for the rest of your life is not ambitious. It's a perfectly fine and legit thing to do, of course. But don't expect a mansion out of it.
If you want to make as much as a doctor, become a doctor.
If you want to make as much as a teacher, become a teacher.
If you want to make as much as a Disney cashier or a Target cashier (same difference) then become that. But don't ask for more than what *the job* (not the person) is worth.
The value of a job is not philosophical and certainly has nothing to do with anyone's rent or mortgage.
If you are willing to pay someone forty dollars to mow your lawn, and they tell you their rent went up, does that make mowing your lawn worth more?
It has been common knowledge AFAIK that there are "jobs" and there are "careers." Your life may vary depending on which you choose, and which you qualify for. That's why people go to school to become doctors, because it should pay off down the road. Now, I'll be the first to say doctors are no better than anyone else, but they earn more because their job is worth more.
If you can learn your job in one shift, then virtually anyone can do it and virtually anyone can replace you. Personalities will vary, but businesses are used to that. Those who excel get noticed and are rewarded in various ways, up to and including raises and promotions. That's how it goes. If you want to make more than a cashier, do well and get promoted. Positions open up all the time. Then the next new people come in as cashiers to take your place and the cycle repeats.
There will always be some who can't handle more than that. Worse, there are some who don't care and don't try. This is a merit based system. You have to earn things, they are not handed to you.
It is an extreme example when "no one" will do xyz job. That's an extremely unlikely scenario. You may have a harder time hiring, but it won't be "no one."
The biggest change has been the attitude of the work force. That's why if Disney raises these "low paying" jobs from $17 to $20, you'll still go to the parks and be met with people who are less friendly than they were ten years ago. It's a cultural shift.
But then people will complain when stores install self-checkouts. You are literally begging for this to happen by demanding higher wages at this rate of increase. The "inflation level" pricing you've seen recently won't go back down because wages are partially replacing the inflation. If you're OK with that, then OK.
The whole thing is pointless because once you complete the circle, the higher wage will still buy you the same place to live. In the meantime, small businesses who can't afford what Disney can afford will continue being swallowed up because paying $15 for someone to sit and scroll on their phones and do a mediocre job is untenable unless you are selling jewelry or booze.
Is arguing for and pushing for a higher salary not one of those "different options?"
Not if they can justify it having less to do with their own expenses, and more with what it's worth to the company.
