Disney World is often branded with a phrase first applied to its sister resort, Disneyland, “the happiest place on earth.”
When you visit one of Disney World’s four theme parks, the company hopes to project that image. Cast members provide smiles and endlessly cheerful demeanors designed to make visitors forget their problems and think they’re in a truly magical place.
The Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, of course, are magical places. Unlike the animatronics that inhabit many rides, the cast members who work in the park are real people, although they contain surprises that cannot be experienced in everyday life.
They may act happy all the time, but behind the scenes some are upset with the way they’re being treated by Walt Disney. (DIS) – Get Free Report.
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Disney World faces labor issues
Disney has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years as the cost of living has steadily risen in central Florida. Due to the growing popularity of living in good states, housing costs have risen.
Because no one wants to think that the kind person (or the guy in the Winnie the Pooh suit) who helped them in the park might be living in poverty. But in many ways it has happened, and the company has been fighting and negotiating with unions, both publicly and privately, for years.
The company reached an agreement to raise wages at Disney World to a minimum of $15 an hour in 2018, but the increase won’t fully start until 2021. rate and workers are not happy about it.
“Thousands of Disney workers are on the verge of rejecting Disney’s wage offer. All six unions representing American workers have recommended that their members vote against Disney’s contract proposal to continue fighting for the pay increases workers need,” the unions said in a statement. Stated.
Florida Prices Continue to Rise
Disney was able to capitalize on the fact that many people wanted to work at Disney World. did not. Because the cost of living was low, workers were able to make ends meet on their wages.
Orlando’s cost of living is 3% higher than the national average, and housing costs 7% higher, according to Payscale data. The median rent is $1,301 per month and the median home price is $425,882.
So someone making $600 for $15 an hour, 40 hours a week, would be paying over 50% of their pre-tax income in rent alone.
“A common criterion for budgeting rent is to follow the 30% rule (Opens Overlay), which means spending a maximum of 30% of your monthly pre-tax income (gross income) on rent. has been the rule of thumb since 1981, the government found that people who spent more than 30% of their income on housing had a “cost burden,” Chase Bank shared. .
According to the current no-strike/no-lockout agreement the union has with the company, Disney workers are technically not allowed to go on strike.
This will change when the contract expires, a date that has not been published as the company and union are working under an extension of the original contract.
The union wants an immediate raise to a minimum wage of $18 an hour, but the company has offered to continue raising wages by $1 a year.
