Disneyland workers say they live in cars and motels due to low pay

[sam_gordon]

I think there is a difference between a "Living Wage" and "Minimum Wage". I think you are defining minimum wage as living wage.

From my link... (I even bolded it for you)... "They noted that a minimum wage would support the entire wage infrastructure by creating a floor that workers could leverage to achieve higher wages through collective bargaining."
THAT'S what a MINIMUM wage was created for. According to YOU, "THAT is what minimum wage jobs are for. Students and Seniors"

No one has brought up "Living Wage" until you.

Now, if you have SOMETHING that shows "Minimum Wage Jobs are for students and seniors", please, present it.
If that's your OPINION, then just say so.

 

[tvguy]

From my link... (I even bolded it for you)... "They noted that a minimum wage would support the entire wage infrastructure by creating a floor that workers could leverage to achieve higher wages through collective bargaining."
THAT'S what a MINIMUM wage was created for. According to YOU, "THAT is what minimum wage jobs are for. Students and Seniors"

No one has brought up "Living Wage" until you.

Now, if you have SOMETHING that shows "Minimum Wage Jobs are for students and seniors", please, present it.
If that's your OPINION, then just say so.

Yes, my opinion based on my experience. Sorry, I'm in California where some local governments feel the the current $16 minimum wage ( going to $18 in January) isn't adequate so they have living wage laws. $20.96 in San Francisco, for example.
We also have "guaranteed income laws" where the government gives people $1,000 to $1,200 a month.
But this is a discussion board, where we post opinions on things where we live, so once again, yes, it is an opinion.

 

[Snap Crackle Pop]

Yes, my opinion based on my experience. Sorry, I'm in California where some local governments feel the the current $16 minimum wage ( going to $18 in January) isn't adequate so they have living wage laws. $20.96 in San Francisco, for example.
We also have "guaranteed income laws" where the government gives people $1,000 to $1,200 a month.
But this is a discussion board, where we post opinions on things where we live, so once again, yes, it is an opinion.

And they are right, it is not adequate in California. The wage needs to be quite a bit higher.

 

[kdonnel]

What on earth does this mean?

Nobody knows.

Responses like this are why I don’t bother to participate in the controversial threads.

Too many people read things that were not typed and make crazy assumptions and then can’t see past what they think someone said versus what they said.

 

[barkley]

Tuition in 1984 at my state college was $800/semester. People could work minimum wage jobs; side hustle on the weekend or waitress/bartend and earn college tuition. I'd love to see where one can go to school nowadays for 2,400/semester (or 3X the minimum quoted)

no argument from me that college costs are much higher now than then but just for the sake of pointing out that not only can it be done but it IS DONE-

state university near me (on trimesters not semesters)-$8586 for full year tuition/fees so that breaks down to $2862 per trimester

minimum wage near me (higher in other areas of my state) $16.28 but $18.00 is far more common entry level (and tipped positions are not paid less).

if we are strictly speaking of someone paying JUST for their college tuition (no housing/food...) then even if someone went with the lowest minimum wage of $16.28 with no tips it would take (gross wages so throw in some extra hours to cover taxes) only 528 hours of employment per year or 10 hours per week.

i don't know what other's college experiences were like but i worked a whole lot more than 10 hours per week even back in the 80's to cover my tuition and fees.

 

[QueenIsabella]

no argument from me that college costs are much higher now than then but just for the sake of pointing out that not only can it be done but it IS DONE-

state university near me (on trimesters not semesters)-$8586 for full year tuition/fees so that breaks down to $2862 per trimester

minimum wage near me (higher in other areas of my state) $16.28 but $18.00 is far more common entry level (and tipped positions are not paid less).

if we are strictly speaking of someone paying JUST for their college tuition (no housing/food...) then even if someone went with the lowest minimum wage of $16.28 with no tips it would take (gross wages so throw in some extra hours to cover taxes) only 528 hours of employment per year or 10 hours per week.

i don't know what other's college experiences were like but i worked a whole lot more than 10 hours per week even back in the 80's to cover my tuition and fees.

I have to agree with this. Our college bills landed with a thud last week (I have three going to the local U). For my DD21, full-time student living off-campus, her bill was $2758.41 for the semester, all-in (as in, including fees, but not room/board/books). She works 20 hours a week at Starbucks during the school year--more in the summer--and could easily pay that. She makes $20/hour plus tips, extra for training people, and is in line for a promotion. Also, not to brag, but she made dean's list, is in the honors program, and is double-majoring, and is still able to work enough to pay her bills. So, it definitely can be done. It does help that we live in a state that provides good college support.

 

[Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL]

I see your point. But I disagree. An economy needs jobs for people who need a little income, or a supplement. THAT is what minimum wage jobs are for. Students and Seniors.

I would agree with you if, instead of “minimum wage jobs” you typed “part time jobs.”

I feel like this economy is one big game of musical chairs. Some are going to be left standing every time the music stops. And the problem is not that there aren’t enough chairs. The problem is there are many people taking up two and three seats.

 

[tvguy]

I would agree with you if, instead of “minimum wage jobs” you typed “part time jobs.”

I feel like this economy is one big game of musical chairs. Some are going to be left standing every time the music stops. And the problem is not that there aren’t enough chairs. The problem is there are many people taking up two and three seats.

That is a reasonable choice of words.

 

[focusondisney]

The University my daughter is going to in Germany is $2,428 a semester.


EDIT: CORRECTION: That is the cost with room and board. The actual tuition is 350 Euros a semester, so about $381 U.S. The Germans are very aggressively recruiting English speaking students for their technology programs.

The German universities probably don’t pay millions of dollars to football & other sports coaches.

 

[BrianL]

There needs to be a two-pronged approach to this situation that Disneyland Cast Members and many other employees throughout the country face. Yes, they need to raise wages - and, yes, Disney at least can afford to do so - but they also need to work to get costs down, something nobody seems to want to address. Housing is out of control because there is not enough supply. There are more people on this planet every day and we haven't built at pace. They need to address this. Disney could help too - build an affordable, Cast Member community nearby. That might be more feasible in Florida (I think they are doing something like that actually), but still. If housing could get more reasonable, that would take the stress off in so many ways.

 

[DisneyHardin]

That would be a question for the people who do the scheduling, but apparently it works.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but you are suggesting that Disneyland be staffed mainly by High School students in the evenings and senior citizens during the day while the HS students are in school. That will definitely make the Princess dining meals a little different - "Mommy, why does Cinderella look like Grandma?"

 

[BrianL]

Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but you are suggesting that Disneyland be staffed mainly by High School students in the evenings and senior citizens during the day while the HS students are in school. That will definitely make the Princess dining meals a little different - "Mommy, why does Cinderella look like Grandma?"

That would be funny. Of course, CMs classified as "performers" get paid a bit more than the minimum wage. I'm sure it may vary by the role with face characters for meet and greets being on the lower end (as opposed to a singer/dancer or stunt perfomer, etc.), but it's still a higher scale than the general attractions or merch CMs.

 

[bdrex28]

Such a tough deal for everyone involved. I lived in SoCal (Scripps Ranch and Temecula) for many many years and my oldest is still in San Diego. It's a very expensive area to live. Gas is ridiculous, rental and home purchasing costs are crazy high unless you get out into the more rural areas (but gas and essentials are still very expensive).

I do believe the wages need to meet a few criteria. I also think this depends on the actual job the employee serves. But obviously it should be at or above minimum wage, and the "living wage" would be ideal. If you look at a few charts that calculate living wage for the Anaheim area they calculate that to be roughly $27.57 per hour for a single adult with no children. A single parent with one child at $48.75 per hr.

https://livingwage.mit.edu/metros/31080

To me the bigger question is left to the citizens of California and their votes. The taxes the state charges on items such as a gas are insanely high. Interestingly Pennsylvania has the highest gas tax at 58 cents per gallon closely followed by California at 51 cents. For comparison the majority of states fall into an average of about 28 cents. Georgia actually has a zero gas tax.

My point being is that there's a reason why California has lost so much in regards to population in the last 4 years. New York and Illinois are the other two states in the top 3 of declining population.


I hope Disney comes to an agreement with their employees. I don't know what that may be, but you'd like to believe that employees of the "most magical place on earth" also can make it work out for them. Happy employees create a happier environment which increases the "magic" at Disneyland.

 

[BrianL]

To me the bigger question is left to the citizens of California and their votes. The taxes the state charges on items such as a gas are insanely high. Interestingly Pennsylvania has the highest gas tax at 58 cents per gallon closely followed by California at 51 cents. For comparison the majority of states fall into an average of about 28 cents. Georgia actually has a zero gas tax.

I'll just say that I live in the south where gas taxes are generally very low, but our roads are also absolutely terrible, so it's not a perfect solution. There definitely needs to be a balance. I'd pay a few cents more per gallon if they would repave the dang roads! Fortunately, my Subaru can take a pothole like a champ.

Also, Georgia did have a temporarily suspended gas tax, but that has expired and they do have one now (though it's on the lower end of the scale as with most stated in the Southeast).

 

[gsdweller]

This isn't a Disney problem, it is a California problem. Disney can help to a degree, but that means upsetting customers. I am all for increased prices at the Parks. Most people here are not.

 

[bdrex28]

I'll just say that I live in the south where gas taxes are generally very low, but our roads are also absolutely terrible, so it's not a perfect solution. There definitely needs to be a balance. I'd pay a few cents more per gallon if they would repave the dang roads! Fortunately, my Subaru can take a pothole like a champ.

Also, Georgia did have a temporarily suspended gas tax, but that has expired and they do have one now (though it's on the lower end of the scale as with most stated in the Southeast).

The hard part for any state is to find where tax allocation goes to. Does Gas tax support infrastructure? If so, how much of the gas tax goes to infrastructure such as roads?

Not all states are created equal.

I've lived in Maryland, Virginia, Florida, California, Texas and Oklahoma.

I much prefer Texas and Oklahoma when it comes to taxes and usable income. I would give Texas the #1. Florida wasn't bad. I am currently in Oklahoma and I feel we pay a bit more in taxes than we did in Texas even with higher property tax. I have daughters in California and New Hampshire. Can't really factor much in New Hampshire as she's a scholarship athlete at UNH so don't really pay anything.

 

[rangerxenos]

Unfortunately this is not just a California problem. I live in Connecticut, where cost of living is among the highest in the country. You pretty much have to make almost triple the CT minimum wage of $15.69 in order to have a decent place to live, and be able to live somewhat comfortably.

Until they figure out the affordable housing problem that's prevalent in too many areas of this country, this is going to continue to be an issue. You should not be working full time and still not be able to afford a place to live, whether it be at Disneyland or anywhere else.

 

[longboard55]

everyone keeps saying its crazy to pay fast food workers $20/hr, but everyplace we go to have help wanted signs. I think the bottom line is low wage workers were underpaid for a long time and are catching up now

 

[tvguy]

Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but you are suggesting that Disneyland be staffed mainly by High School students in the evenings and senior citizens during the day while the HS students are in school. That will definitely make the Princess dining meals a little different - "Mommy, why does Cinderella look like Grandma?"

I am not. I am speaking of entry level, minimum wage jobs in general.

 

[tvguy]

The German universities probably don’t pay millions of dollars to football & other sports coaches.

Could be. But as much as I hate to admit it, even the awful sports programs at the private University I attended (1975-79) made money for the University.
I spent some time with the Vice President of Fundraising, and he said an amazing number of people donate TO sports programs. A big part of his job was talking donors into allowing some of the money to be diverted to academic programs.