Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/07/27/mickey-blinked.html
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Good on them for going through with this instead of fighting back against wage increases.
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I hope this includes Disney World, whose employees are also fighting against a reluctant DisneyCorp.
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Years ago I took my visiting sister and toddler niece to Disneyland (in So Cal). The Disney employee dressed as “Alice” (in Wonderland) during one of their parades noticed my visibly delighted niece, skipped on over sporting a huge smile, and playfully stroked my niece’s face before skipping off again. To me that was certainly worth way more than $15/hour.
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That’s still barely a living wage. I couldn’t go there without thinking it’s the happiest sweatshop on earth.
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Well, it’s a start. The problem is not only wages but health care, pensions, what government spends on, taxes of the wealthy, and probably a whole bunch of other things. There is also the issue of prices.
This country is a mess. We can choose a future that looks like Star Trek or Mad Max. The choice is ours.
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I really must do the maths for how much $4/hour for all employees compares per year to Bob Iger’s take home pay. Or each visitor to all the parks not buying one ice cream per visit. Or a class action lawsuit for cast members failing to be the happiest on earth. Actually, I’m too busy. Anyone?
*Not legal tender. Only applicable at specified gift shops and the employee only cafeteria. Not the good one with AC, the one that only serves hotdogs and chips.
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I think some libertarians are aiming for a future that looks like Blade Runner. Then there are the people who want a future like Starship Troopers.
Why can’t we have more visions of the future that look good for everyone? I’m not expecting an perfect idealistic utopia, just something that works well enough for all people.
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A great deal of the min wage employees are kids on the college program. They live in dorm like subsidized housing with roommates. Most are big Disney fans and also know that Disney line on their resume is gold in the job market.
Also in LA. Working at Disney is a first step to get into the entertainment industry.
Steve Martin used make balloon animals and sell magic tricks at the magic shop.
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Disclaimer: I’m a DVC member and spend a stupid amount of my dollars to the Disney Parks division of Disney.
I’ve been to DisneyLand and DisneyWorld more than most other people (I used to go once every three weeks for about four years). I talked to a LOT - a lot a lot - of Disney employees at both parks.
Most of them are there because they love Disney and they love what they do. A surprising number are lifers - a surprising number after THAT are freakin’ volunteer retirees who worked for Disney for years and don’t want to leave, so they volunteer to come in and still be a part of the parks in some way.
That kind of loyalty cannot be bought, and would be a terrible, terrible thing to lose, so I’m happy to hear that Disney has stepped up here and done the right thing, even if they had to overcome what I can only assume was serious pressure from the rest of Disney Corporate to do it.
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I know, right? If you work a 40 hour week that’s basically an extra $175 before taxes kick in. This must really eat into Disney’s bottom line. #thinkofthecorporations
So that’s why I kept this in a drawer. The most repellant aspects of Disney Corp, all in one weird artefact. It’s a wallet, with a little coin purse and four clear card slots. Made in China, of course. I can barely imagine what the Chinese people who made this think about it.
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No more “Happiest Gulag on Earth”?
Employees dressed as characters are actors and historically have been paid a bit more than the minimum wage “cast members” attending the rides, crowd control, and janitorial work.
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