The character controversy of 1981

[sweetpee_1993]

Thanks sweetpea.

Union protections and the civil service system will definitely provide exceptions to the paradigm, both good and bad for the workers. Was any college needed for the dispatch job? If not, it will probably pay less. Overwhelmingly, the most skilled and dangerous jobs will pay far better than the fungible jobs of many lower echelon employees. My town has a nuclear power plant with security officers whose toughest skill is simply staying awake. The gov't requires them, and forces abundant training that will be very unlikely to ever come in handy. But they're paid well because the plant is so valuable, the risks of that rare terrorist are monumental, and they have good worker protection, although not unionized.

Yes, teachers, law enforcement, air traffic control, paramedics, and 911 dispatchers often get paid too little. In my town, senior librarians with no college make over $45,000 a year. That's not fair. Compare that, however, to the heart surgeon making a milllion dollars a year who sacrificed many years and inccurred huge debt for his schooling, and can literally saves people's lives through a unique skill that very few people have. Or even the well paid crane operator who can literally be so skilled that he can be the difference between a construction company making or losing money, or even the lives of his co-workers.

Skill, talent and education--generally--result in better pay. People with fungible skills generally get paid less, often near minimum wage, for their work, even when it is uncomfortable and demanding work. Unions, civil service contracts, being connected or being the boss's nephew can skew these rules dramatically, with little regard for skill and talent.

Dispatchers may not last long, but they are relatively easily replaced with inexperienced under skilled people. Oh well, until the Mayor's mother dies because of a poor dispatcher, the pay won't get any better. Congratulations on the new job, and consider a little more schooling for yourself. Perhaps you could become an engineer yourself, and quadruple your salary in the process. Good luck.

When I worked in that line of work our agency wasn't civil service or unionized in any way. Was I replaced when I left? Sure. Not easily or immediately. I could scare the bejeezus outta folks if I told you how we worked short-handed regularly because we didn't have enough people. That's when mandatory overtime and the real disgruntlement started...:hammer:

I know the rest of the world thinks in their own direction but I choose not to flock and subscribe to the thought that a piece of paper obtained at a college makes anyone more valuable. Common sense, life's lessons, experience, and work ethic cannot be taught in any school. Certain things require a degree (like doctors, etc.) but there are a lot that don't. Those that don't shouldn't be undervalued or passed off as "easily replaced". That doesn't always ring true.

As for work, I didn't answer phones or make coffee long. Sometimes a good head on your shoulders and uncompromising work ethic can take you a long way. At that engineering firm, that's exactly what happened to me. Life's journeys have brought me a lot of blessings since those days. Nowadays I'm on to other challenges and a far more rewarding positions that don't pay a dime monetarily. My pay comes in hugs & kisses and most recently a very somber, "Thanks, Mom. We know you're busting your butt to make our lives better." That was soooo the icing on the cake for me a couple days ago. :animwink: Going back to school to earn a degree isn't needed yet. Maybe someday it will. Maybe not. Right now I haven't the time, need, or willingness to create a debt for my family to do all that.

No slam at all. Burger flippers, ditch diggers and characters work hard, and good ones do alot. But theyre easily replaced, unlike a good-looking person who can sing & dance, the heart surgeon who performed the triple bypass on your Dad, and the CEO who turned around a dieing company. Rare people usually make rare money, and they should. They are hard to find, and they're very valuable. Replaceable people probably do not, and the replaceable people, according to Friedman's book, are constantly being replaced by machines and lower paid people in other countries. Why is your customer service call going to India, because the work is relatively fungible and it's so much cheaper to pay them, that's why. Why aren't characters paid very well, because there's no shortage of people with the fungible qualifications applying to become them. Supply and demand, ignore it at your peril.

Politicians and CEO's making all the big bucks aren't necessarily deserving of what they make. I don't care what degree they have or who thinks they're "rare". They aren't special. Eliminate that person and there's thousands more just as crooked waiting to step up and line their pockets. Look at the current state of things. Pretty shameful, if you ask me. Perhaps the world needs a new perspective? :shrug:

Entertainment companies can get away with "taking advantage of" character performers for the same reason that airlines can get away with grossly underpaying pilots and local governments can get away with underpaying public school teachers -

The reason is this: people go into these jobs because of their love for the job, their passion for the profession. People who grow up wanting to be pilots, teachers, police officers, firemen, and entertainers, are usually quite passionate about their field. In other words, there will always be a surplus of candidates out there willing to do the job in the event that the current employee is unhappy with their work conditions.

The next time you fly, try not to think about the fact that your pilot is probably getting paid less than a manager from Taco Bell. :brick:

Sad but true. :lookaroun

 

[biggiedisney123]

Exactly.

Politicians and CEO's making all the big bucks aren't necessarily deserving of what they make. I don't care what degree they have or who thinks they're "rare". They aren't special. Eliminate that person and there's thousands more just as crooked waiting to step up and line their pockets. Look at the current state of things. Pretty shameful, if you ask me. Perhaps the world needs a new perspective? :shrug:



Sad but true. :lookaroun

 

[dreamfinder]

Workers in most front line jobs are underpaid. Be it "friends" or ride operators at WDW, the flight attendants on your plane ride down, or any other job. That doesn't stop them from doing a job with their job, and shouldn't stop them from enjoying it. Yeah, some may be easily replaced, I.E. burger flipper, while "friends" may not be as easy to find a good one, but that doesn't really matter to upper management. Many view front line employees as replaceable, regardless of how easy or hard it is. From ditch diggers, all the way up to pilots. Sadly, many industries are finding out the hard way that cutting wages even more, and hiring someone for even cheaper doesn't always cut it. Hiring a CP or international employee to do a role for less and a regular CM makes sense, until you look at how often those seasonal employees need to be trained (every semester for the CP) and how long it takes them to get up to speed to do a great job of whatever it is they are doing. From a management role, they see that they just saved whatever amount of money by having people working for 2 dollars less an hour, or not having to give them benefits. Eventually the quality of your service catches up with you as the workers no longer want to do the job, but need to do the job to make ends meet. Look at the number of companies that started to offshore everything under the sun. Call centers, tech support, etc, look at how much of it is slowly coming back to the original location. Companies/management find out that those employees aren't as easily replaced as they thought. Given enough time, it does catch up with a company.

 

[Timekeeper]

This (Disney underpaying characters) is one of the reasons for why quite a few talented performers left Disney and made their way over to Universal Orlando, particularly when IOA opened up, because the pay rates for the "face" characters were nearly double that of what Disney was paying. Some performers maintain simultaneous employment between the two companies, but back then, others (particularly face characters) were given "ultimatums" by Disney to choose Disney or Universal. The current atmosphere does not seem to be as harsh as it was back then; likely because IOA's opening was "competition" for Disney, and opened up a large number of character roles for local performers.

 

[sublimesting]

Have some empathy for the ditch diggers and characters, they build your roads and make your children smile. Both occupations are worthy of being considered for higher wages.

And that was no slam to underwater welders out there, they deserve every dollar they earn.

When i first read your post I accidentally didn't see the word "characters". So I read "Have some empathy for the ditch diggers, they build your roads and make your children smile."

I was like ?

 

[wdwmagic]

Wow. Interesting. Especially now because Disney is such a highly regarded service company.

Speaking of characters, does anyone know where I can view a list of current characters meeting in the parks?

Yep right here on WDWMAGIC

http://www.wdwmagic.com/Attractions/Character-Meet-and-Greets-at-Disneys-Animal-Kingdom.htm

http://www.wdwmagic.com/Attractions/Character-Meet-and-Greets-at-Disneys-Hollywood-Studios.htm

http://www.wdwmagic.com/Attractions/Character-Meet-and-Greets-at-Epcot.htm

http://www.wdwmagic.com/Attractions/Character-Meet-and-Greets-at-the-Magic-Kingdom.htm

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I'm still curious about the "uniforms" of the "friends of characters". Anyone know if they've ever integrated a cooling system like the outfits the LMA stunt drivers wear?

 

[biggiedisney123]

Yeah....not quite the same thought when you take characters out of there....made me laugh to read it.

When i first read your post I accidentally didn't see the word "characters". So I read "Have some empathy for the ditch diggers, they build your roads and make your children smile."

I was like ?

 

[wdwmagic]

I'm still curious about the "uniforms" of the "friends of characters". Anyone know if they've ever integrated a cooling system like the outfits the LMA stunt drivers wear?

No there is no cooling system.

 

[Master Yoda]

Both sweetpea and Ralph lay have very valid points but I think what it really boils down to in this case is simple respect for your fellow man. Every person, no mater their station in life, deserves to be treated with a certain level of respect until such a time as they have demonstrated that they do not deserve it.

 

[Timekeeper]

I'm still curious about the "uniforms" of the "friends of characters". Anyone know if they've ever integrated a cooling system like the outfits the LMA stunt drivers wear?

There are ice vests, chilly vests, or whatever else you want to call them that look and feel a bit like a bullet proof vest. They contain small beads and the vest is stored in a freezer like the portable ice packets you put in your kid's lunchbox. The vests are cold, but they only stay cold for 15 or so minutes, and many performers opt to not use them because (1) they don't stay cold as long as the set usually lasts, (2) they are quite heavy and add weight to an already-heaving character "uniform," and (3) they don't completely "re-freeze" during the short 30 minute break between sets. So, they're really only good for one set, or every other set, or if you have two vests, you could rotate between the two. The weight is what seems to turn most performers off from using them.

They look a little bit like this:

If I have seen guests walk up to a character toward the beginning of their set (when they're still "cold"), and touch/hug the character - feeling how cold they are - and making a comment about it. It's quite humorous.

What I am not a fan of is when guests ask a character, "Do you have air conditioning in there?"

 

[JimboJones123]

I don't mean to belittle anybody at all, but the strongest voice may be to no longer do the job. Outside of CPs, who are basically Disneyslaves, nobody is forced to be in the bucketheads.

 

[friendofafriend]

There are ice vests, chilly vests, or whatever else you want to call them that look and feel a bit like a bullet proof vest. They contain small beads and the vest is stored in a freezer like the portable ice packets you put in your kid's lunchbox. The vests are cold, but they only stay cold for 15 or so minutes, and many performers opt to not use them because (1) they don't stay cold as long as the set usually lasts, (2) they are quite heavy and add weight to an already-heaving character "uniform," and (3) they don't completely "re-freeze" during the short 30 minute break between sets. So, they're really only good for one set, or every other set, or if you have two vests, you could rotate between the two. The weight is what seems to turn most performers off from using them.

They look a little bit like this:

If I have seen guests walk up to a character toward the beginning of their set (when they're still "cold"), and touch/hug the character - feeling how cold they are - and making a comment about it. It's quite humorous.

What I am not a fan of is when guests ask a character, "Do you have air conditioning in there?"

I left the company just about a year ago and in all my years I never set eyes on a chilly vest. The company makes them available for the performers in block party but they do not provide them for sets.

 

[Vince3]

Personally , I'd like to see some of the characters go all Mel Gibson on some of the "guests"!

 

[mp2bill]

No one doubts that the characters work hard, but the economic point is that employees who are replaceable are probably going to get paid less. Underwater welders, to use biggiedisney 123's example, are both skilled and engaged in life threatening work. They get paid well, doing the kind of work that only 1 in 100 people, maybe, could do; and also get paid for dealing with the physical discomfort, fears and pressures of doing that kind of work. It's hard, it takes a unique set of skills, and it is an exceptionally demanding job physically and psychologically.

Ditch diggers work hard and ruin their backs, but replacements are easy to find. They get paid less, probably alot less than the guy behind him running the $300,000 excavator.

Good and dependable singers and dancers are not as easy to replace, so they get paid more than the characters who are relatively easy to find. Yes, it is hard to be a character, but I have never heard of a shortage of people auditioning to become them, or Disney having a really hard time finding replacements.

This point is made clear in Thomas Friedman's The World is Flat. It's an excellent book about where the world is going, and how life and employment will be affected. A major point is how certain jobs are "fungible". This means that one ditch digger, or burger flipper, can usually be easily replaced by the next pretty good ditch digger or burger flipper.

In short, 1 adult out of 10 probably has what it takes to be a character. 1 adult out of 50 has the talent and training to maybe become a professional singer or dancer. 1 out of 1000 might be great enough to become a brain surgeon,and one out of 100,000 to become an astronaut. That's life. Moral of the story: Learn a marketable and unique skill if you want to earn more money; don't do what everyone else can already do.

Exactly what I was thinking.

 

[Ralphlaw]

The heart of the matter is that MOST people who work hard and choose a career with an eye to making bigger money will be successful in doing that. Not all, but most--especially in the long run. People who don't dedicate their lives accordingly will be far less likely to do so. It's a statistical fact that good grades in school, a college degree in something that pays well, and sincere dedication to work will result in more money and better working conditions. Exceptions abound both ways, but increasing one's chances of a good job is usually correlated with school and hard work. "Duh?" The statistics continually bear this out, but anecdotal exceptions do exist.

If you don't care about good grades, education, directing your life to a well paying job, or true dedication to your job, then you will be far less likely to make good money. You still might get lucky, but your odds of doing so are much much worse if you coasted through school, didn't go to college, and had some vague dream of working in some fabulous job with great money, but do very little to achieve it. Again, exceptions exist, but you're really taking an unlikely path to getting there.

If it's your dream to be a character, that's fine; but realize that many other people are willing to do it, and that it is not a career path for riches.

The old joke was about philosophy majors in college, but it could be the same for drama, music, literature or any other less marketable career path: "What great question of mankind does a philosophy major continually ask in his post-college employment? Do you want fries with that?"

If characters hate their jobs, I have one piece of universal advice: Then quit if it's so bad. Look, there's lots of people there to replace you. Trying to change a condition or two at work is an uphill struggle, and trying to change the behavior of the jerks of the world is nearly impossible.

I always treat all workers who do a good job with respect, and they deserve it. But certain jobs like nurses, police officers, waiters, and characters get mistreated on a regular basis. It's a lousy part of their job, but they should know that going into it. Mistreatment should not be tolerated, but it is going to occur from the jerks of the world. Accept it, but work with your employer to minimize it however reasonably possible.

 

[Disneygal24]

Master Yoda is very wise.

~Amanda