Disney Hourly Salaries

[Alice Royal]

Did you go to Rollins? I graduated from there in 2003 with an Economics degree (and years towards an advanced degree I finished here in Texas) and while I didn't have the student loans you mention - none of the undergrads I Pro Mentor do either at the level you're talking about.

If you want to PM me, I can help guide you through programs for deferring loans and other programs that can help to alleviate the financial stress those loans are causing.

Yup. I got half off with a Dean's scholarship but most of my loans are Parent PLUS. So no income based repayment.

 

[Docsknotinn]

A lot, not all, of the jobs listed in the OP are union jobs. The union's contract is online and can be read here

Unless there has been a major change since I left all hourly Cast Members at hire have the choice to join the Union or not. Wages and duties remain the same.
As far as $12 an hour for unskilled labor that's not at all bad for Orlando. Wages in FL are substantially lower than many other areas of the country. The other thing that seems to have been over looked is that these are starting wages. It's not like they are wage "caps".
Disney pays health insurance and has other benefits as well that people in other parts of the country would take for granted, However service jobs with benefits in FL are mighty hard to come by. Many positions also have plenty of OT available.

 

[cmash95]

florida also has an advantage over most states, we dont have an income tax or estate tax. so there is more take home pay at 10 dollars an hour in florida than california

 

[MichaelWill&Megan'sMom]

These jobs aren't meant to be a career. they are jobs. And they pay over minimum wage. That is awesome! If you want ridiculous, think about teachers getting $34,000 a year with a master's degree (this is as good as it gets where I teach)! That is crazy. Not working at a ride at Disney world!

 

[lockedoutlogic]

florida also has an advantage over most states, we dont have an income tax or estate tax. so there is more take home pay at 10 dollars an hour in florida than california

Right...those Disney employees sure make out on no estate tax.

The main misconception with Florida is that people think it's cheaper to live and that's why wages are lower.

Not at all...at least not for many years. It's just less money.

You Pay a price for 340 annual days of sun...such is life.

 

[cmash95]

its alot cheaper to live in florida than california. just look at trying to buy a house or rent an apartment in cali. not to mention as i said, you take home less money because they have a high income tax rate and their sales tax is also higher and food isn't exempt. when you add things all up, you are so much better in florida than really any west coast state

 

[lockedoutlogic]

its alot cheaper to live in florida than california. just look at trying to buy a house or rent an apartment in cali. not to mention as i said, you take home less money because they have a high income tax rate and their sales tax is also higher and food isn't exempt. when you add things all up, you are so much better in florida than really any west coast state

Sure...it's a lot cheaper go live in Florida than New York City, Hawaii, and Washington DC as well...

But it's apples to oranges...California kinda is too.

Orlando is still a somewhat new, rural swamp...and while you can get an ugly, cheaply constructed house cheaper...how do you pay for that, food, and gas on $9.56 an hour?

I'm not saying that Disney should care...I'm just saying that wages are depressed in Florida because they are depressed by design...not because it's somekind of elaborate social and economic experiment that makes it "work".

You work for Disney...you will not make enough to have the finances or security to do things that you can work towards in other areas. It is what it is.

 

[cmash95]

its a starting salary. and its not 9.56, it's 10.00. but again the starting jobs are crowd control and ticket takers and button pushers. Let'a look at what skills are needed. It's a means of developing and learning and working your way up to better pay and frankly it;s an incentive to work hard in order to make more. When i was a kid I started at 3.00 an hour and at the time my first job was cleaning offices. That wasn't my carreer but it was a job that taught me basic training. both my parents worked when i was young and I and my brother had jobs and when i was in college I worked and went to school. you have to pay your dues and maybe you get a couple of roomates and maybe have a second job. That's life. too many people expect to be handed things and not really have to work for them.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

its a starting salary. and its not 9.56, it's 10.00. but again the starting jobs are crowd control and ticket takers and button pushers. Let'a look at what skills are needed. It's a means of developing and learning and working your way up to better pay and frankly it;s an incentive to work hard in order to make more. When i was a kid I started at 3.00 an hour and at the time my first job was cleaning offices. That wasn't my carreer but it was a job that taught me basic training. both my parents worked when i was young and I and my brother had jobs and when i was in college I worked and went to school. you have to pay your dues and maybe you get a couple of roomates and maybe have a second job. That's life. too many people expect to be handed things and not really have to work for them.

Again...I'm not debating merits...I'm just saying the purchasing power of $10 isn't Much.

And Disney contracts do have top outs...it's not like anyone working at pecos for 28 years is making $43 an hour.

I'm also not saying they should...but there are ceilings as well.

 

[TheNotSoEvilQueen]

I know a few people who have worked for Disney, and many of them say they worked their for the environment, perks, and culture. They never cited anything positive or negative about pay rate.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

I know a few people who have worked for Disney, and many of them say they worked their for the environment, perks, and culture. They never cited anything positive or negative about pay rate.

That's what you call the prototype "happy" hourly or low management at WDW...

They enjoy it for what it is...but don't discuss pay because it's not a strong suit.

If I worked as a firefighter for 20 years and retired early (I knew some that did just that)...then drove a boat around Epcot...id be happy as a clam.

 

[kamik86]

You know what would work?

Linking top of the tree (CEO / COO / etc) salaries, with bottom of the tree (CMs / Cleaners / cashiers) salaries.

So, The CEO should not make more than say 20x the salary of their lowest paid employee. Then if they give themselves a 2% pay rise, or a 10% pay rise, or whatever, the lowest paid person ALSO gets a 2% / 10% / whatever pay rise.

This leads to open, and transparent pay scales, in which each person can see their value to the whole, and in which each person is valued within the whole. This leads to happier employees, fewer sick days, lower staff turn over, higher productivity... (thus it's a win win, since many of the expenses of being an employer are reduced)

I really find it odd that people genuinely believe that working full time should not be a guarantee of being able to pay the basic living expenses of a person.

Hmm I think that would make more businesses temp out their "lowest cost" jobs to other companies.

Mine does this already. The lowest paid people in my building don't work for this company they work for the company my company hired to clean, the company we hired to run the cafeteria, etc.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Hmm I think that would make more businesses temp out their "lowest cost" jobs to other companies.

Mine does this already. The lowest paid people in my building don't work for this company they work for the company my company hired to clean, the company we hired to run the cafeteria, etc.

I'm pretty sure you're not the boss...so this shouldn't be a personal Insult...

That's a fundamental lack of repsect to the company, the employees, and the community.

Wall Street sucks

 

[kamik86]

I'm pretty sure you're not the boss...so this shouldn't be a personal Insult...

That's a fundamental lack of repsect to the company, the employees, and the community.

Wall Street sucks

Nope not the boss. I don't think my company does it because of salaries. Some areas are done on purpose so that the department doesn't share a boss (our building security is managed by a seperate company so a big shot of the company can't bully them into getting a master key to an area they shouldn't have access to based on clearance level or getting in without their badge), because its very different from what we do and a dedicated company would manage it better (if you were a cook would you want an engineering manager telling you where to order your food from and how you should do your job), or similar to 2 something that requires a licence we don't have (electical work, plumbing work, etc. We have go to companies for this because you have to be cleared to get a badge here that doesn't require someone to escort you, so the companies we work with alot have a list of guys that have non-escort access that they can send to us).

However when the comment was made I tried to think about who in our company would be the lowest paid people. At first I thought the interns and then though about the cleaners and cafeteria workers before realizing that technically they don't work for our company. Due to this is really may be the interns...Who make more the many on here are saying they can find for full time out of school jobs.

Our company loves our intern program its win win. They get paid alot less then full engineers but get experience and its still ALOT for a college student. At the same time we can see if they are any good before really hiring them (they go away in a few months if they suck) and if they are good (we have had some great ones) we get some cheap good labor for a while and now know who to try to hire as soon as they graduate.

 

[cmash95]

look for disney to start farming out more work especially in cali because the minimum wage is supposed to go up to 15 an hour in the nextfour years. It's going to be cheaper for disney to hire a third party for hourly workers as well as keeping staff levels to minimum. WDW already farms out some of it's stuff. including the cast cafeteria.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

look for disney to start farming out more work especially in cali because the minimum wage is supposed to go up to 15 an hour in the nextfour years. It's going to be cheaper for disney to hire a third party for hourly workers as well as keeping staff levels to minimum. WDW already farms out some of it's stuff. including the cast cafeteria.

Agreed...

The minimum wage movement - unlike many things American - is NOT going away. There's just too many people (50% of the country and rising) that could benefit and want this...

Disney hates it. They complained about the longterm costs of labor when it was $5.65 starting.

Outsourcing has been on deck for a longtime. Eisner expanded the property from an employee standpoint too far...and the travel didn't expand proportionally...but has slowed to more normal levels than it did 85-98...

That means Disney will have to dump employees to get any bigger...as they have tried to stream line many away for a long time.

 

[cbsnyber1]

Agreed...

The minimum wage movement - unlike many things American - is NOT going away. There's just too many people (50% of the country and rising) that could benefit and want this...

Disney hates it. They complained about the longterm costs of labor when it was $5.65 starting.

Outsourcing has been on deck for a longtime. Eisner expanded the property from an employee standpoint too far...and the travel didn't expand proportionally...but has slowed to more normal levels than it did 85-98...

That means Disney will have to dump employees to get any bigger...as they have tried to stream line many away for a long time.

What's interesting is that Disney - the parks operations part of it - is mainly a hotelier/food service company. Think of it: the huge profits are made renting hotel rooms and selling food, beverages, and merchandise. I would bet the parks themselves (the money from ticket sales) are at best break even, maybe even operate at a loss. The costs of all the CMs, the transportation system, the ongoing maintenance of the attractions, security, all the overhead costs, have to be huge. So they have to make their profit elsewhere.

That said, if they start increasing use of part timers instead of paying a higher minimum wage to a stable full time work force, look out. They will end up with a generally disloyal, disinterested staff that is in constant churn, with constant turnover and training always ongoing. This will impact the user experience everywhere, and they will lose some of that magic they try so hard to generate.

Here in PA the company that runs the service plazas along the PA turnpike pays somewhat above the state minimum wage, which currently is $7.25 an hour. They constantly advertise in the local papers for help, and are constantly training people - who then leave for better jobs once they find one, which isn't too hard when you make so little. And it shows; many of the employees look totally disinterested, have no motivation to go above and beyond, and seem like they can't wait until the end of their shift. That hurts customer service, but since they have basically a captive audience (you have to exit the turnpike for other choices, and the plazas are very convenient) they continue to operate in this manner - because they can.

Unlike the unfortunate customers of the PA plazas, Disney customers have other choices. Right now they still are choosing Disney, but decrease the customer experience on a regular basis across the board with part timers (CMs, hotel staff, food workers, store clerks) and it eventually has to hurt them. That's why I always believed you take care of your employees - those are the most valuable asset any company has.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

What's interesting is that Disney - the parks operations part of it - is mainly a hotelier/food service company. Think of it: the huge profits are made renting hotel rooms and selling food, beverages, and merchandise. I would bet the parks themselves (the money from ticket sales) are at best break even, maybe even operate at a loss. The costs of all the CMs, the transportation system, the ongoing maintenance of the attractions, security, all the overhead costs, have to be huge. So they have to make their profit elsewhere.

That said, if they start increasing use of part timers instead of paying a higher minimum wage to a stable full time work force, look out. They will end up with a generally disloyal, disinterested staff that is in constant churn, with constant turnover and training always ongoing. This will impact the user experience everywhere, and they will lose some of that magic they try so hard to generate.

Here in PA the company that runs the service plazas along the PA turnpike pays somewhat above the state minimum wage, which currently is $7.25 an hour. They constantly advertise in the local papers for help, and are constantly training people - who then leave for better jobs once they find one, which isn't too hard when you make so little. And it shows; many of the employees look totally disinterested, have no motivation to go above and beyond, and seem like they can't wait until the end of their shift. That hurts customer service, but since they have basically a captive audience (you have to exit the turnpike for other choices, and the plazas are very convenient) they continue to operate in this manner - because they can.

Unlike the unfortunate customers of the PA plazas, Disney customers have other choices. Right now they still are choosing Disney, but decrease the customer experience on a regular basis across the board with part timers (CMs, hotel staff, food workers, store clerks) and it eventually has to hurt them. That's why I always believed you take care of your employees - those are the most valuable asset any company has.

Thanks...now I'll have nightmares about the worst highway in America - which I've had the displeasure of driving far too many times

And pa's minimum wage is rather pathetic. For the record.

But youre in my wheelhouse here: Disney food and hotel operations are not the profit centers.

I can tell you what I've seen firsthand. A rather large hotel...and most popular /occupied at the time (15 years ago)...pulled in $220,000 ish a night in room revenue on average...

...and yet made not a cent. Food was a little more margin but not a main center then either. Of course it cost half as much and was way better quality...so that could have something to do with that back then too.

Disney hotels are not run on the same model...they were designed solely as feeders...to get you there, keep you there, and put you in the park.

1:2 employee ratios. 1,000 employees mostly full time and benefits for 2,000 rooms. What's a 100 room Hampton inn have? 20? Maybe.

What's the angle? Nearly all the profit...the pure and simple stock grease not attributed to overhead...is in the giftshop. Nearly all.

Now...they've screwed with the prices too much and who knows what?

And they pooched the merchandise long ago...it doesn't sell as well...how did i know? Because the per guests spending flattened out for about a decade...and it's been "increased" by hefty price increases over the last 5 years.

That can only be attributed to flat/decreasing merchandise sales. I think that's been an ugly little secret behind the wall for awhile.

The other problem with you're theory about part timers is that they have all but exhaust the FULLTIME labor pool several times over since the 90's...

If they could get away with part timers...they would have long ago. The place is too big and wild to run with part timers...especially at the prices they charge and the psychology those prices are based on.

If they start giving off the six flags vibe...look out...doors closing.

 

[newlife]

That said, if they start increasing use of part timers instead of paying a higher minimum wage to a stable full time work force, look out. They will end up with a generally disloyal, disinterested staff that is in constant churn, with constant turnover and training always ongoing. This will impact the user experience everywhere, and they will lose some of that magic they try so hard to generate.

as someone who has been in the workforce for 44 years and who has spent most of this time in management, the impact of relying on a part time work force IMHO has more of a negative impact on the workplace then outsiders may realize. when a person enters the workplace and accepts a minimum wage they do so out of necessity. they may need to simply get a job or supplement their lifestyle. i am a veteran of the supermarket retail wars on long island ny and have noticed a dramatic downturn in the amount of full time workers and the increase in part time workers. i have more insight then others because i am a union shop steward and have negotiated many contracts between ownership and management. i have heard every excuse imaginable as to why raises cant be higher but i also recognize that they also have the right to maximize their profits.

here is where i feel they are cutting off their nose to spite their face. full time supermarket workers have over the years been blessed with a good benefit plan and as what i see here used often" a living wage." these positions weren't plentiful but many part timers saw these positions as a chance for improvement. lo and behold when the old timers, like myself, retired and we werent replaced with another fulltimer, we usually were replaced with one part timer. substantial savings for the owners but this created a workplace that became depressing. many full time workers felt they now had a bullseye on their backs because of this shift in policy. so now you have your veteran workers who used to feel important to feeling i am next and you have the part timers who soon after realizing promotions are far and few between either quit or just work just enough to make it through the day.

how does this relate to disney? as i see it when you hire bodies to just fill positions without the prospect of moving up or improving their status in the company youre playing with fire. in the retail and hostess industry that disney is , you need cast members who are happy and dedicated to their chosen profession. you need to augment your full time positions, make it competitive without the CM realize it. tell them you show that you are true disney material and you can become a full timer. you will find out soon enough who your prospects are. your management team will be grateful to have an employee who has shown the work ethic to improve. management will then be able to recognize the workers who just dont need full time positions and the other who are just there. im sorry to say this is whats wrong with many part time workers. there isnt much incentive for them to do much more the earn their pay. is giving 10,000 workers a raise from 10 to 15 dollars going to make a difference im afraid not. not because these part timers will suddenly grow into an awesome workforce, because their numbers will be reduced greatly because of the added cost

the bosses want to maximize their profits but i feel and have seen the success of giving the workers the incentive to improve themselves. give them the chance to have steady full time work and that living wage will become the norm. everybody wins, better and happier workers make the guests happier and whether your selling mickey ears or tending bar, a happy customer SPENDS MORE!!!

im not retired yet but soon i will be and will be a disney employee.

sorry for being a bit long winded here.

 

[cbsnyber1]

the bosses want to maximize their profits but i feel and have seen the success of giving the workers the incentive to improve themselves. give them the chance to have steady full time work and that living wage will become the norm. everybody wins, better and happier workers make the guests happier and whether your selling mickey ears or tending bar, a happy customer SPENDS MORE!!!

Another point: the cost of hiring and training is one thing; a greater loss is experience. Losing people with experience hurts a company more than the costs of replacing them.

My former company had a routes sales force that was paid by commission. They had good benefits as well, and from time to time the company would review the entire package and tweak it upwards a bit just to keep holding on to these people. The reason: the HR department estimated it cost $2 - $3 thousand to hire and train a new sales rep; but the total cost due to the lost sales experience, which includes valuable customer relationships that vastly help generate sales, was estimated at between $30 - $40 thousand per employee. That's a hard number to ignore.

They realized the value of these employees to the company's success and did what they could to hang onto them.