Are WDW parks really overflowing with trash?

[DisneyFEB2013]

Here now. Yes, I have seen garbage overflowing. They are definitely short staffed. It’s a bit of a disappointment. My biggest irritation, however, is people putting garbage in the recycling cans. I saw it over and over again.

 

[HopperFan]

They have been very bad at adapting to labor needs during the pandemic. The "not my area" syndrome was in full effect on my last trip.

Disney does very specific training and in most cases you can not do a job you are not trained for. Say you are in Cosmic Rays, yes a QSF&B CM is cross trained. They might be able to greet, fill orders and bus tables. But if you are say an Attractions CM, you are not cross trained to do Custodial and therefore can not perform those duties. The "not my area" is a legit thing BUT they should be very willing to put in a call to address an issue.

My DD was a "Hopper" which means she was cross/cross trained. She had several jobs during her tenure which two were attractions, but she went through complete custodial training on arrival even though she never worked it. Once at Soarin' someone puked. The ride is shut down and they called for Custodial to come take care of it. Well this was with their old contract** so basically the ones who were supposed to come .... disappeared. After about 30 minutes of waiting, she "suited" up and got out the chemicals and cleaned it up. Her workmates were freaking out because they said "you aren't allowed to do that" to which she said "I can because I am fully trained."

Now what was also glaringly missing last week were the "suits" that are usually walking around with trash pinchers. They have always been great at stepping in. I don't think I saw one all week. It's these folks that need to be visible and present because it would be them who are ultimately responsible and calling in for someone to address issues. The question I have is .... have those jobs not been reactivated and CMs working mostly working under their coordinators.

**There was a big contract change with custodial few years back which CMs were not happy with. One was the loss of some senior issues with picking shifts but seemed their big complaint was that they were ... best I remember .... assigned areas and not duties. So say you WERE bathrooms & trashcans in Future World East. If someone puked, it wasn't your job. What happened is what happened to my daughter, "not my job" and the one who is was couldn't be found. She still talks about all the issues they had. NOW best as I understand it you are now assigned "all Custodial duties for The Land" so there should be staff always available when needed. No waiting.

I do think their ongoing issues with that union is why so many DCP got Custodial and Housekeeping this summer, for some reason they are bringing back those full timers very slowly ... perhaps a trigger in the contract or something. I hope when all the hotels are open, it will bring all of them back and we see a difference.

 

[DLgal]

Disney does very specific training and in most cases you can not do a job you are not trained for. Say you are in Cosmic Rays, yes a QSF&B CM is cross trained. They might be able to greet, fill orders and bus tables. But if you are say an Attractions CM, you are not cross trained to do Custodial and therefore can not perform those duties. The "not my area" is a legit thing BUT they should be very willing to put in a call to address an issue.

My DD was a "Hopper" which means she was cross/cross trained. She had several jobs during her tenure which two were attractions, but she went through complete custodial training on arrival even though she never worked it. Once at Soarin' someone puked. The ride is shut down and they called for Custodial to come take care of it. Well this was with their old contract** so basically the ones who were supposed to come .... disappeared. After about 30 minutes of waiting, she "suited" up and got out the chemicals and cleaned it up. Her workmates were freaking out because they said "you aren't allowed to do that" to which she said "I can because I am fully trained."

Now what was also glaringly missing last week were the "suits" that are usually walking around with trash pinchers. They have always been great at stepping in. I don't think I saw one all week. It's these folks that need to be visible and present because it would be them who are ultimately responsible and calling in for someone to address issues. The question I have is .... have those jobs not been reactivated and CMs working mostly working under their coordinators.

**There was a big contract change with custodial few years back which CMs were not happy with. One was the loss of some senior issues with picking shifts but seemed their big complaint was that they were ... best I remember .... assigned areas and not duties. So say you WERE bathrooms & trashcans in Future World East. If someone puked, it wasn't your job. What happened is what happened to my daughter, "not my job" and the one who is was couldn't be found. She still talks about all the issues they had. NOW best as I understand it you are now assigned "all Custodial duties for The Land" so there should be staff always available when needed. No waiting.

I do think their ongoing issues with that union is why so many DCP got Custodial and Housekeeping this summer, for some reason they are bringing back those full timers very slowly ... perhaps a trigger in the contract or something. I hope when all the hotels are open, it will bring all of them back and we see a difference.

I saw plenty of suits at Disneyland over July 4th weekend, with pinchers and everything. And I saw plenty of overflowing trash cans. The issue is staffing and an attempt to screw over full time custodial CMs by only offering them part time hours and no benefits, so many aren't coming back. There was a protest today by Union members outside the DL gates about this specific issue with custodial cast members protesting. There was also an article addressing it in the local paper (Orange County Register).

The trash cans overflowing are absolutely a very real problem right now at Disneyland and I suspect the issues at WDW have a similar cause. Alerting a CM or telling Guest Relations isn't going to magically result in more custodial CMs appearing out of nowhere while these negotiations are ongoing with the Union that represents them.

 

[rainyvegandisney]

Here now. Yes, I have seen garbage overflowing. They are definitely short staffed. It’s a bit of a disappointment. My biggest irritation, however, is people putting garbage in the recycling cans. I saw it over and over again.

I wouldn't worry about it. You need to sort recycling by material type and completely clean it before recycling, otherwise the recycling center will throw the entire container of recycling out as trash for contamination. In Disney, maybe 1/100 people will do that, meaning 100% of the recycling will be thrown out every time.

 

[New Mouse]

https://www.ocregister.com/2021/07/...t-against-corporate-greed-outside-disneyland/

Well theres your answer for Disneyland at least. Looks like Disney is taking this opportunity to shrink their full time work force and is instead pushing for new part time hires to save money and benefits.

 

[Lilsia]

I usually report these kind of things, also when there is no toilet paper in bathrooms in restaurants for example, if fountains/hand dryers are out of order without a sign.

Staff cannot be everywhere at every minute. If the policy is to check every hour, they check and see the can is half full, and just after they leave a group of people with loads of trash arrive, it will stay a mess for at least 59 minutes.

'They have staff for that'/'that is your job', is the same attitude of people who do not clean up after using a quick seservice. They don't because they believe/are taught that is someone else's job.

After working in busy restaurants, I can say that the staff appreciates when someone lets them know things like this. We can't be everywhere all the time and if something gets missed, employees want to know. Especially something like running out of TP or paper towels in the bathroom. Plus you are helping the next person that goes and uses the restroom.

 

[cakebaker]

I really think when we see issues like this, talking to a CM nearby does little to help. They aren't going to tell the higher ups who have the power to see what guests are saying and make the changes needed to make it stop happening. By reporting it to guest services, either by email or as others have suggested, posting on their official twitter page will get it the attention it needs.

The real question is, does Disney actually care right now and I think the answer is no.

 

[cakebaker]

https://www.ocregister.com/2021/07/...t-against-corporate-greed-outside-disneyland/

Well theres your answer for Disneyland at least. Looks like Disney is taking this opportunity to shrink their full time work force and is instead pushing for new part time hires to save money and benefits.

"As Disneyland and California Adventure get back to full operations, 40% of the workers laid off during the pandemic have yet to be called back"...

And this is what I'm talking about when people talk about lack of staff and letting Disney off the hook because Disney can't help it that they can't get people to work. Disney isn't calling them back. The garbage problem isn't going to get fixed because someone tells a lowly CM at the ride that it's full. They know it's full. I'm sure most of them don't like seeing it any more than we do. This is a problem much higher up the food chain.

 

[Karin1984]

I really think when we see issues like this, talking to a CM nearby does little to help. They aren't going to tell the higher ups who have the power to see what guests are saying and make the changes needed to make it stop happening. By reporting it to guest services, either by email or as others have suggested, posting on their official twitter page will get it the attention it needs.

The real question is, does Disney actually care right now and I think the answer is no.

That I absolutely agree with you. The CMs working at the rides, doing the day to day stuff will not have the power to make any structural changes.

What I hope to achieve when I would report something like this, is that they can help in the moment, by calling Custodials to report the issue. Maybe it will take another few hours before it's actually solved, or maybe the answer at Custodials is 'no, sorry we have no manpower to clean up between the regular rounds'. But at least you tried, and the CM tried.
I think that any company can only truly solve a problem when they have data. I am all for reporting any issues, regardless of when you can do it. Why I prefer to do it right away is to try and solve it right away and I think chances are higher that it gets to the right department quicker then when you report it afterwards via e-mail/social, because then it has to go through several channels in the company to get to it. Especially with big companies like Disney.

I think Disney does care, but not enough to make the structural change of paying their people more. Paying people a decent wage + benefits is the bare minimum to make people stay working for you.

 

[71 Truck]

Right now if you were to look on the Disney Careers web page they are listing for part time custodial cast members among other jobs.
The job was posted 06/09/2021.
The starting pay as per the listing is $14.00 an hour. "this is a union negotiated starting pay rate"
This is better then the average starting pay in the area for what most people would consider a job with a "no previous experience requirement" in my opinion.
Part time requirement are for full availability three days a week. I have been told there are always opportunity's to pick up extra shifts.
There are no benefits listed however they still may qualify for park passes and discounts.

When the union negotiated the new higher starting wages in their last contract my though was that the company was going to hire less full time people where ever they were able to.

The thought was, sure we will pay you a higher wage we will just do the job with less people.

I am not sure how many laid off custodial cast members have been recalled. I would imagine all full time cast would have to have been recalled by seniority before they would be aloud by the union rules to look to hire new ones.

With Disney reopening more areas and increasing capacity this could become an on going situation.

 

[cakebaker]

Right now if you were to look on the Disney Careers web page they are listing for part time custodial cast members among other jobs.

And right there is the problem. It isn't that they can't find anyone to work, it's that they don't want to pay them a decent wage AND provide benefits that will allow them to survive working there. As much as they need custodial people, they aren't even hiring full time. They'd rather have filthy parks and higher profits. Their choice I guess.

 

[New Mouse]

I am not sure how many laid off custodial cast members have been recalled. I would imagine all full time cast would have to have been recalled by seniority before they would be aloud by the union rules to look to hire new ones.

With Disney reopening more areas and increasing capacity this could become an on going situation.

And the best part is...you can claim innocence on the issues to the public thats not paying attention when your staff that hasnt been called back quits.

"Whys it so dirty? Well we have this ad out for part time staff and we cant get anyone."


Look at it here already, how many people on the boards are claiming they cant open shows because they dont have the staff. The entertainment staff is waiting to come back. Many of them started performing again at other local parks so the only thing stopping Disney at this point is Disney.

 

[71 Truck]

And right there is the problem. It isn't that they can't find anyone to work, it's that they don't want to pay them a decent wage AND provide benefits that will allow them to survive working there. As much as they need custodial people, they aren't even hiring full time. They'd rather have filthy parks and higher profits. Their choice I guess.

When people say ( not you personally) pay someone a decent starting wage what is that?
The starting wage is set by the union as negotiated with the company. The union claimed victory in the last contract negotiation that this would lead to a living wage. Starting at $14 dollars an hour and going up from there.
And hence they still can't find people in all positions of employment to get some jobs done.

Part of the problem is the part time aspect most not only need a pay check but also need benefits.

People have complained in the past about how much going to Disney has gotten so expensive in the last few years.
I have seen quotes that they are squeezing the middle class out.
Part of what you are seeing in the increase cost to visit has to do with the higher pay to cast members.

Disney is a business, they have to show profit not just for the stock holders ( I am one by the way) but to also expand their parks/business add new rides and so on. That money has to come from somewhere.

There has to be a middle ground so the can hire and keep the people they need to do the jobs that need to be done.
I thought that was what the unions were suppose to do, negotiate in the best interest of their members.

I hope Disney is paying attention because overflowing garbage cans may just be the beginning of bigger problems down the road.

 

[Sargeant Tibbs]

When people say ( not you personally) pay someone a decent starting wage what is that?
The starting wage is set by the union as negotiated with the company. The union claimed victory in the last contract negotiation that this would lead to a living wage. Starting at $14 dollars an hour and going up from there.
And hence they still can't find people in all positions of employment to get some jobs done.

Part of the problem is the part time aspect most not only need a pay check but also need benefits.

People have complained in the past about how much going to Disney has gotten so expensive in the last few years.
I have seen quotes that they are squeezing the middle class out.
Part of what you are seeing in the increase cost to visit has to do with the higher pay to cast members.

Disney is a business, they have to show profit not just for the stock holders ( I am one by the way) but to also expand their parks/business add new rides and so on. That money has to come from somewhere.

There has to be a middle ground so the can hire and keep the people they need to do the jobs that need to be done.
I thought that was what the unions were suppose to do, negotiate in the best interest of their members.

I hope Disney is paying attention because overflowing garbage cans may just be the beginning of bigger problems down the road.

I'm a stock holder as well, but I tend to agree with Abigail Disney on this one. The problem isn't with the little people. The problem is on top. The cost doesn't have to be passed on to the consumer. That is the argument spun by corporations, but it simply isn't true.

 

[cakebaker]

When people say ( not you personally) pay someone a decent starting wage what is that?

I don't know what the cost of living is in the area so I can't possibly give an exact $$ amount, but I said decent AND benefits. They can't pay enough to make it worth working there unless there are benefits included.

No one is asking Disney to pay wages so high they can't make a profit, but profits in the short term as your main priority is not a good recipe for success. If Disney can't pay their staff enough to be able to attract good people and still make a healthy profit they've got bigger problems than just overflowing trash cans. They aren't after healthy profit, they want as much as they can make and are clearly willing to sacrifice quality in order to earn those short term gains. We'll see how long that lasts and how successful it is long term. But it's time to quit blaming people trying to feed their families and live by having decent health care for rising costs and profit margin issues. They aren't the problem.

I don't complain about high prices. I firmly believe they should charge what the market will bear. If that means higher prices, so be it. I'd rather pay more and get a decent experience than get it cheap and get a local theme park experience.

 

[New Mouse]

When people say ( not you personally) pay someone a decent starting wage what is that?
The starting wage is set by the union as negotiated with the company. The union claimed victory in the last contract negotiation that this would lead to a living wage. Starting at $14 dollars an hour and going up from there.
And hence they still can't find people in all positions of employment to get some jobs done.

Part of the problem is the part time aspect most not only need a pay check but also need benefits.

People have complained in the past about how much going to Disney has gotten so expensive in the last few years.
I have seen quotes that they are squeezing the middle class out.
Part of what you are seeing in the increase cost to visit has to do with the higher pay to cast members.

Disney is a business, they have to show profit not just for the stock holders ( I am one by the way) but to also expand their parks/business add new rides and so on. That money has to come from somewhere.

There has to be a middle ground so the can hire and keep the people they need to do the jobs that need to be done.
I thought that was what the unions were suppose to do, negotiate in the best interest of their members.

I hope Disney is paying attention because overflowing garbage cans may just be the beginning of bigger problems down the road.

Disney part time often requires an absurd availability comittment as well so that there would be no way you could actually hold a full job if you wanted to make up that gap.

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

It's not like they can't see the trash cans overflowing. CM's follow procedures. They are doing their jobs, it's management that gets all the blame here for not properly staffing. It won't do any good to complain to a CM in the parks. They can't do a thing. Guest services is where the complaint goes and I imagine that's a pretty long line at the parks right now.

Can confirm, the line at guest services for magic kingdom yesterday as i walked in was the longest I’ve ever seen it. Just a massive crowd. In the alternative, you could call to let them know that their trash cans are overflowing, wait times are only 90 minutes on hold.

 

[Karin1984]

When people say ( not you personally) pay someone a decent starting wage what is that?

I am not sure about the definition in the US, but in my country it means that as an adult (21 or older), you should be able to get paid enough for one 40-hours work week (x 4 to get to a month's pay) to pay for all your fixed expenses + food etc. This doesn't include money for holidays, hobbys, sports. What do you need to earn to have a roof over your head, clothes on your body and food in your stomach?

And with the minimum wage we have it is possible. (Health insurance you have to pay for yourself, we have universal health care, your pension, commuting allowance etc. is covered at most businesses)

I don't think it's a secret that at Disney the top gets paid so excessively more that people at the bottom pay for it. Bob Iger earned 1.000 times as much as the median Disney income. That's not a good look.

 

[cakebaker]

Can confirm, the line at guest services for magic kingdom yesterday as i walked in was the longest I’ve ever seen it. Just a massive crowd. In the alternative, you could call to let them know that their trash cans are overflowing, wait times are only 90 minutes on hold.

That’s very generous on that wait time on the phone. 3 hrs 45 minutes for us to fix a problem that took 5 minutes to correct.

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

I don't know what the cost of living is in the area so I can't possibly give an exact $$ amount, but I said decent AND benefits. They can't pay enough to make it worth working there unless there are benefits included.

No one is asking Disney to pay wages so high they can't make a profit, but profits in the short term as your main priority is not a good recipe for success. If Disney can't pay their staff enough to be able to attract good people and still make a healthy profit they've got bigger problems than just overflowing trash cans. They aren't after healthy profit, they want as much as they can make and are clearly willing to sacrifice quality in order to earn those short term gains. We'll see how long that lasts and how successful it is long term. But it's time to quit blaming people trying to feed their families and live by having decent health care for rising costs and profit margin issues. They aren't the problem.

I don't complain about high prices. I firmly believe they should charge what the market will bear. If that means higher prices, so be it. I'd rather pay more and get a decent experience than get it cheap and get a local theme park experience.

Disney World is almost certainly making record profits right now. Also, the job market is on fire and you’re not going to attract people right now for $14 an hour and no benefits to stand out in the hot florida sun and pick up garbage. Not when they can go work at a fast food restauarant (indoors) with the same no experience and make more. They have made a conscious decision to allow the parks to be this way. To not have enough staff for the massive crowds they have allowed in. I’ve been here for 9 days now (tomorrow is my last day), and while the lack of fastpasses isn’t as bad as I thought it would be, the lack of dining and other services absolutely is. It is hard to get food without **significant** waits. Even the mobile order windows fill up. Which is ridiculous given the exorbitant amount we are shelling over for Disney food. They should not have increased capacity before they were ready, but they didn’t care. I won’t be back to Disney for some time after this trip. I’m cancelling a trip in December, and I’m sure I’m not the only one. I think Disney just gave themselves a huge short term profit boost at the expense of long term brand loyalty and reputation.