Jentasmic!: Disney’s Influence on Florida 2012 Elections

In this week’s Jentasmic!, I muse about Disney’s involvement in Florida’s electoral politics. A snippet:

Based on recent political contributions by Walt Disney World, we should probably be singing “It’s a Republican world after all” as we glide along through a classic indoor boatride. According to the Orlando Sentinel, “Walt Disney World has spent nearly $2.5 million on political candidates and causes in Florida so far this election cycle” (as of September 27, 2012), with approximately 90% of that money going to Republican candidates or Republican-leaning interest groups.

And I’m sure I’m just scratching the surface; Disney has a long and complex relationship with politics in Florida (and nationwide — let’s not forget Sonny Bono’s Mickey Mouse Protection Act). Vance at StudiosCentral points out that Disney’s also recently been involved with preventing a paid sick-leave question from appearing on the Florida ballot. From HuffPo:

Thanks largely to the pressure brought by the business lobby in Orange County, Fla., it appears the most magical place on earth won’t include mandated sick leave for workers anytime soon.

Last month, Orange’s Board of County Commissioners voted to put off a ballot vote on a hotly contested measure that would require employers to provide workers with one hour of sick leave for every 37 hours worked, capped at 56 per year. By delaying the vote until after the printing deadline for the Nov. 6 ballot, the board’s move at least temporarily scuttled an initiative that 50,000 voters had petitioned to put to a public vote.

I took a quick look at the current union contract for full-time WDW Cast Members, and full-time Cast Members can earn up to 48 hours of sick leave per year (assuming one works 8-hour days, that’s 6 days worth). That’s below the average for full-time workers in the US, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And I’m well-aware that many Cast Members are neither full-time nor covered by the union. Any Cast Members have stories they’d like to tell? Plenty of room here in the comment section below.

Current Contract Offer for WDW Union Cast Members

News broke late last week that Disney had reached a tentative agreement with the unions. And at first blush, it doesn’t look so bad, right? According to WKMG:

The latest agreement gives more then 20,000 Disney workers guaranteed annual pay raises for 3 years. They’ve been offered $650 bonuses with an additional $100 to workers who make $8.50 per hour or less. Disney agreed to continue to pay more than 70 percent of the cost of comprehensive health care coverage.

But, as that same news source reports, it’s only the “majority” of the unions who are in support of the contract. And the members still need to vote to ratify it, on February 25. The Local 362 blog is running pictures and stories of members who plan to vote No.

Joseph Guiteau is voting No

I couldn’t find details of the actual contract anywhere online, so I dropped a note to Local 362 (one of the dissenting unions), and received the following information in response:

All Full-Time employees on the day of the vote receive an additional $100 if vote passes

Bonus Summary

If vote passes:

You receive $750 if you make less than $8.50 per hour (non-tipped) and were working before 10/2/10

You receive $650 if you make more than $8.51 per hour (non-tipped) and were working before 10/2/10

You receive $100 if you were hired since 10/2/10

Wage increases

Workers hired before 12/12/1998 – “Topped-out”

4/3/2011                4/1/2012                3/31/2013

2% wage increase        2.25% wage increase     2.5% wage increase

Workers hired after 12/12/1998 – “In-range”

4/3/2011                4/1/2012                3/31/2013

3% wage increase        3% wage increase        3% wage increase

Minimum wage increase of $0.25 for “in-Range”
wage scale

This reflects additional money from the Company on the Bonus amounts. The wage increases are the same as previously proposed.

Unfortunately nothing changed on the cost of health care. The increases will result in workers making less at the end of the contract. The family plan is slated to go up 96 cents per hour over the life of the contract (If you get 40 hours – which many employees don’t).

A  [sic] Attractions, Custodial or Merchandise employee working at Disney at least 13 years is slated to receive 88 cents per hour in wage increase during the contract. If they have a family and that cost increases 96 cents in the same time period, they would be making 8 cents less per hour.

Not surprisingly, a Disney spokesperson talking with WKMG sees things differently:

“The fact is that the overwhelming majority of cast members will end up with more money at the end of the contract,” said Andrea Finger, a Disney spokesperson.

I’d need a whole lot more information to crunch the numbers and figure out if she’s right (how many have 13 years seniority? how many have families?). But I do know that following a year of record stock prices and a huge raise for Iger, I’d like to see Disney Cast Members paid a little better too.

Celebrating Lisa's birthday with Cast Member Jack

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: A big part of the appeal of a Disney vacation is the outstanding Guest Services that the Cast Members bring. Almost every time I’ve traveled to a Disney Park, I’ve met at least one Cast Member who’s gone above and beyond the call of duty to fix a problem, or help me celebrate a special occasion. It’s just good business sense to pay Cast Members well enough to allow them to make a career of it, and not just make Disney a stopping-off-point on their way to better-paying jobs elsewhere.

Disney First Quarter Profit Up 54%

Disney stock jumped again today after first-quarter results showed a 54% increase in profit. According to the Wall Street Journal:

The company’s profit for the quarter surged 54% to $1.3 billion from $844 million a year earlier. The earnings were equivalent to 68 cents a share, up from 44 cents a share. Revenue rose 10% to $10.7 billion.

In after-hours trading, Disney shares rose 3.6% to $42.67.

I trust that at tomorrow night’s Rally for a Fair Contract, there will be plenty of picket signs arguing for sharing the wealth with the workers who created it. As the LA Times points out, these profits come at least in part from cost-cutting, not entirely new revenue generation:

Aggressive cost-cutting produced dividends for Walt Disney Co.‘s movie studio, as its operating income jumped more than 50% on moderate revenue growth for the quarter ended Jan. 1.

I’m glad the company’s healthy. I hope it shares the wealth with its workers, not only its shareholders.

Not like I’m bitter about the state of the economy, or anything. (And remember folks, I’m an honest-to-God business school student, so I’m not unfamiliar with how our system works or unsympathetic to the need to show profits even in lean times.)

 

Sunday Morning Pixar and Union Musings

Looks like The Onion decided to celebrate 25 years of Pixar with this spot-on, foul-mouthed, hilarious fake op-ed piece by John Lasseter: I’ve Got You Dumb Motherfuckers Eating Right Out Of My Hand.

Yes, after the success of our first few movies we had a hunch you’d continue to enjoy the wonderfully designed animation and our smart, lyrical writing, but I didn’t think we’d create a horde of drooling morons ready to drop everything just to watch a fucking rat cook dinner. Time and time again, though, there you chumps are, lined up around the block with your stupid little kids, eager to have your stupid little hearts filled with whimsy.

You probably aren’t surprised to hear that I’m rooting for Toy Story 3 for Best Animated Picture. I can’t say it’s a shoe-in though; last night I saw The Illusionist, and I must say it’s a masterpiece, with the sort of bittersweetness and depth that the Academy often seems to reward. I haven’t seen How to Train Your Dragon, and reviews have been good, but not good enough to make me think we’ve got an upset in the works, especially since the Academy saw fit to also nominate Toy Story 3 for Best Picture.

And about that . . . UNITE Here Local 362 doesn’t want Toy Story 3 winning Best Picture, as they explain on their blog:

Toy Story 3 is currently nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards. We will tell the public that the workers need to be rewarded and not Disney’s hypocrisy. Toy Story 3 encourages us to value what we have, but Disney doesn’t follow its own advice

Hmm. Not sure I follow their logic here exactly, and I’m not sure that valuing what we have is a central theme of Toy Story 3. I’d be surprised to see Toy Story 3 win Best Picture, but it does seem that if any animation house has a shot at taking that award home in my lifetime, it’s probably Pixar. To quote Fake John Lasseter, in that Onion piece:

Admit it: You numb-nuts are addicted to our genuine, three-dimensional characters. And you just can’t get enough of our ability to make an idiot robot that can barely even talk feel relatable. It’s okay to say you love it.

I don’t think I could bring myself to carry one of the Local 362 anti-Toy Story 3 signs. But were I going to be in the area, I’d still be at their protest this week:

Rally for a fair contract!

Wednesday, February 9

5pm to 7pm
Cross Roads
At the intersection of SR 535 & Hotel Plaza Blvd.

Any of my friends gonna be there? I’d love to hear first-hand reports, or receive pictures. Drop me a note if you’ll be in attendance.

30% Pay Raise for Bob Iger in 2010

I wish that every Disney Cast  Member could receive a pay raise even half of that which Bob Iger was awarded in 2010. Here’s what the AP just reported:

Walt Disney Co. has awarded CEO Bob Iger a 2010 pay package valued at $28 million, up 30 percent from a year ago, according to an Associated Press analysis of data disclosed in a regulatory filing on Friday. The company said it is rewarding the 59-year-old Iger for excellent management in a tough economic environment.

I don’t think I even have to tell you that the current “best and final” offer from Disney to the the union that represents many WDW Cast Members doesn’t have anywhere near a 30% pay raise for anybody in 2011. Detailed examples of wage increases are here. The union also has a blog with updates on negotiations.

And say, any of my friends in Florida got a little free time on Wednesday, February 9, say from 5pm-7pm? The union is having a rally at Cross Roads. Hold a sign for me, wouldya?

Another Contract Extension for WDW Cast Members

The Orlando Sentinel reports:

A second round of mediation between Walt Disney World and its largest labor group ended Friday with little movement on either side.

But Disney management and the Service Trades Council did trade some new offers and agreed to once again for bargaining on Feb. 10.

(Hat tip: The Disney Blog.)

So . . . since there’s more than a month before the next round of bargaining, let me reiterate my suggestion: If you think Disney should provide better compensation to their Cast Members, let them know. I’ve provided a link to Guest Services and the text of my own email to Disney in yesterday’s post.

Do I think that a flood of emails to Disney will result in immediate improvements of Cast Member wages? Sadly, no. And I don’t think I’m gonna be able to trigger that kind of flood, anyway. But at a minimum, at least I know I spoke my mind, and (perhaps better yet) some Cast Member in charge of reading through Guest comments might be glad to know some Guests care.

If you haven’t already watched Mousetrapped 2010, you might want to check it out now. I’m sad that so many of the people making the magic for me are under such financial duress. I also try to keep it in mind when I’m in the parks (or calling Guest Services), and try to be a little extra kind to those who are making the Parks so magical for me with such little compensation.

And if you’re moved to contact Guest Services yourself, why not also spread the word to a friend? We’re all in this massively connected online Disney Digerati these days, so tweet it out, Facebook it, whatever. Will Disney change its ways? Probably not. But maybe we can make a Cast Member smile, somewhere.

Ever Wonder What Disney Cast Members Make?

Today, Disney went back into negotiations with its largest union, as The Disney Blog reported.

Walt Disney World and its largest union group, the services trade council, heads back to the negotiating table with a federal mediator today. While no one is optimistic that the differences can be resolved today, no one is worried about an impending strike either.

I find the wages of Disney’s Cast Members to be startling low, especially given the excellent level of Guest Service provided overall, and the amazing beyond-the-call-of-duty actions I’ve seen many of them take. The contract that’s currently being re-negotiated is here, on the Unite Here! 362 web site. For wages, scroll down to page 53, and page through the Appendices.

Despite the general economic picture in the US, Disney stock is at an all-time high. C’mon Disney, let’s see more money and health care benefits for the front-line Cast Members who make the magic happen.

And hey, why not drop Walt Disney World Guest Services a note, to let them know how you feel? Here’s what I just sent them:

Walt Disney World isn’t just about the attractions to me — it’s also about the amazing Guest Services delivered by your Cast Members. And hey, there’s also a lot of Cast Members working behind-the-scenes to make all those attractions work! So it’s important to me that Disney treat its Cast Members well. I’ve looked at the current union contract, and the wages currently paid to Cast Members (even with significant seniority) make me very sad.

I’m paying attention to the ongoing labor negotiations, and ask that Disney provide better wages and health care benefits to its Cast Members. Please support your Cast Members, who are working so hard to make the magic happen for us Guests!!

Several Arrests at Disneyland Labor Protest

From CNN.com:

Cinderella, Snow White, Tinkerbell and other fictional fixtures of modern-day childhood were handcuffed, frisked and loaded into police vans Thursday at the culmination of a labor protest that brought a touch of reality to the Happiest Place on Earth.

The arrest of the 32 protesters, many of whom wore costumes representing famous Disney characters, came at the end of an hour-long march to Disneyland’s gates from one of three Disney-owned hotels at the center of a labor dispute.

The Local 681 web site has more information on the workers’ concerns, which focus primarily on health care. Disneyland frequent Guests, especially Annual or Seasonal Passholders might want to check out the Disney Negotiations Update page for more detailed information (scroll down past the media links), and consider writing a letter to Disney. Or, if you’re going to be at Disneyland, you could also stop by City Hall to leave a comment/compliment/complaint card on the topic. I for one enjoy my vacations more when I believe the people who make the magic are being treated well.

Unhappy Disney Workers in Hong Kong and China

Two news stories caught my eye today, technically unrelated but both datelined “Hong Kong”.

DIS News reports that Disney has been found to violate Chinese labor laws:

Workers at a Chinese factory making Disney toys are overworked, underpaid, exposed to dangerous toxins and forced to live in filthy conditions, a labour rights group said in a report Wednesday.

The EarthTimes reports that things aren’t all that much happier at Hong Kong Disneyland:

On top of its disappointingly low crowds, a survey conducted by the Disney Cast Members Union among 470 of the 5,000-odd staff found that 63 per cent were unhappy with management, complaining largely of unequal treatment and what they see as unfair work distribution.

More than 80 per cent of respondents said they wanted Hong Kong Disneyland to bring its labour practices in line with those at the Disney park in Florida, where staff can be accompanied by union officials at disciplinary hearings and have access to independent arbitration.

STC Signs Contract with Disney, but Conflict Isn’t Over

The Disney Blog sums things up pretty well:

Members of the Service Trades Council approved essentially the same contract during the second vote last night. It lost by a 2% margin the first time around and won by a 6% margin this time. Translation: 47% of voters are still unhappy with the terms of the contract. That means there is likely some acrimony out there as a couple quotes in the Orlando Sentinel reveals.

The Orlando Sentinel has the details.