Due to the ongoing strike by union workers, Disneyland Paris has again issued a warning to Guests who are planning to visit, this time on Monday, June 19, 2023. The Warning Disneyland Paris, which is wrapping up its 30th Anniversary celebrations, has issued the following… Read More »Disneyland Paris Warns of More Strike Disruptions for Guests Visiting June 19, 2023
Striking employees at Disneyland Paris have ground park operations to a stand still at some points of recent days as waves of protests cause cancellations of shows and more. The Details Unionized workers at Disneyland Paris have been fighting for higher wages since the beginning… Read More »Disneyland Paris Continues to Experience Park Interruptions Due to Striking Cast Members
Due to the ongoing strike by union workers, Disneyland Paris has issued a warning to Guests who are planning to visit this weekend on Saturday, June 3, 2023. The Warning Disneyland Paris, which is wrapping up its 30th Anniversary celebrations, has issued the following warning… Read More »Disneyland Paris Warns of Strike Disruptions for Guests Visiting June 3, 2023
As we mentioned earlier this week, Walt Disney World and its unions had come to a tentative agreement on a new contract, and after voting on it, cast members overwhelmingly voted to approve the deal. The Details According to the unions, 97% percent of the… Read More »Walt Disney World Unions Approve New Contract for Cast Members
Walt Disney World and the unions representing its Cast Members have finally reached a tentative agreement for a new contract that will be voted upon by union members this coming week. The Details In contract negotiations that have been ongoing since August 2022, it was… Read More »Walt Disney World and Unions Reach Tentative Agreement for New 2023 Contract
Cast Members warm up as part of 2011 fitness training at Walt Disney World
A bit of good news for the cast of Disney’s domestic theme parks and their guests. The starting hourly wage of the entry level cast member could be rising to $10.00. According to a report in Bloomberg news, the 25% raise would roll out over two years. Last week, Disney made the offer to the Service Trade Council, a group of labor unions that represents almost half of Walt Disney World’s employees.
I see a couple of factors behind this offer. First, there is a nationwide push to raise the minimum wage to $10.10. Disney can show that companies can make this leap on their own by making this move now. Second, Disney has successfully recovered from the down economy and reported record profit last year; $6.6 billion is a lot of Disney dollars. Third, Disney has been investing a ton of money in capital improvements, they have to balance that with some concern for the personnel side of the ledger too.
Of course, there are concessions Disney wants from the unions in return. Switching from Pensions to 401(k) style retirement plans is one. I’m sure there are many others. But hey, that’s what collective bargaining is all about.
There’s one big reason for the offer that Bloomberg doesn’t mention, the Orlando labor market is once again becoming very competitive. In February of 2014 it dipped to 5.5% unemployment rate. That’s nearing the 4% that’s typically considered full-employment (everyone who wants to be working is). Wage inflation is one result of low unemployment, so Disney might be forced to raise wages, even if they weren’t negotiating a new contract with its employees.Read More »Disney Theme Park Entry Level Wages to Climb to $10 an Hour
UNITE HERE, whose Locals 681 and 11 cover Disneyland Resort hotel and restaurant workers, is currently undergoing some internal strife that may have led to a defection of 150,000 of its members to a rival union. As we discussed before (here and here are good… Read More »UNITE HERE Union Encounters Internal Strife