I considered posting this in the thread about wages, but didn't really want to get involved in that thread. I found this Orlando Sentinel article years ago, in a previous battle about WDW wages on another forum. It's from 1989, Disney was advertising a hiring blitz prior to the opening of the Studios, Pleasure Island and the new resorts and a starting wage of $5.05. At that time, minimum wage was $3.35 and in 1990, it was raised to 3.80. So no, WDW wages, weren't always close to minimum wage. That 1989 wage, was 50% more than minimum wage.
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com..._1_walt-disney-disney-world-disney-characters
Somewhere in some hard copy files, I have some statistics about pay from like 1980 for Disneyland, and I don't remember what it was, but I have a memory of it corresponding to like $20-$25 an hour in current wages. There was a huge philosophical shift on CM pay in the 90's.