What happens when both sides of a contract negotiation take the hard line and refuse to budge. Usually it means a strike. Disney has made the unions a slightly modified contract offer and a vote is expected this Thursday. Since Disney has refused to extend the contract beyond Thursday a no vote from the union… Read More »Countdown to strike?
IAAPA, International Association of Amusement Parks and Attraction, is in town having their convention this week and I’m looking forward to attending a few sessions and walking the convention hall. For several years now, everything from zoos to museums has taken up the tools forged by Walt Disney, whose original Disneyland transformed the amusement park… Read More »Better Times Ahead, IAAPA?
A new attraction has just opened at Epcot. Turtle Talk with Crush is part of the continuing Finding Nemo overlay of the Living Seas Pavillion. The new attraction is an interactive show with Crush, the dad turtle from Finding Nemo, where guests are encouraged to ask questions and Crush imparts some of his philosophy of under water life.
For instance, on our visit we learned some of the many uses of the word ‘Dude’ and helped the Crush-Dude identify a human piece of apparel he found littering the beach. We also learned some of the aspects of turtle live such as how many children they can have and to leave any nests of eggs we find alone.
A lawsuit claiming Disney stole the idea for EPCOT from a painting was dismissed today. The painting and eventual construction of EPCOT were similar. But burden of proof is high in these cases and the judge said the Waters family hadn’t event met the basic level needed.
There has never been a strike at Disney World among the general cast members. There are some who think that the time is now to have the first one. Negotiations begin again on Monday to prevent such an occurance. Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Polak said Friday the contract represented the company’s best offer. "The only thing… Read More »Never say Never.
Planning a vacation to Disney World soon and want to know if there will be a strike when you get there? You might want to call Disney and let them know you expect them to settle with the unions and preserve your vacacation.
At lot of the talk around the union is that why would someone working at the park making $7.00 an hour want to strike. Do they expect to earn a living working at Dumbo or the fast food counter. The reality is no. They do not. Most are part time employees, people who are supplimenting their income, or dedicated Disney fans of some sort. These employees probably didn’t even vote in the election, and if they did they were probably among the ‘yes’ votes as their income would be severly impacted by a strike.
My sense is the people who voted no on this contract are the people who have the highest skilled jobs (some require special training or licenses). These positions include Bus Drivers, Characters, Housekeeping. Their pay scales have been structured in such a manner that if you work 4-5 years in a position you’re now earning what could be a decent wage ($13-$15/hr). If you throw in a little overtime and have two wage earners in the household you could even do quite nicely in parts of Orlando/Kissimmee.
There is a letter from the SaveDisney.com editor pleading with Jay Rasulo and Matt Ouimet to give Disneyland’s Tomorrowland the love and care it deserves. Specifically the editor would like to see the return of the submarine attraction in some form. The subs are permanently gone from the Orlando resort now (the whole lagoon has… Read More »Meanwhile, back on the ranch…
More details on the strike vote from the Orlando Sentinel: Some union leaders said the prospect of a strike was not realistic. Under Florida law, not everyone represented by a union has to be a member. Of the roughly 22,000 members of the trades council, slightly more than half are members. This would mean that… Read More »Strike Vote Details