Eisner learns first hand how Disney employees weathered storm

[bratray]

Walt Disney Co. chief Michael Eisner got a firsthand report today on how employees are coping after Hurricane Charley.Eisner, warmly received by workers at Disney-MGM Studios, met with crew members and thanked them for their efforts in keeping the Walt Disney World resort operating during a time of crisis. With its own underground power system protected from outages, Walt Disney World was able to keep three of its four theme parks open Saturday.

During exchanges with employees, Eisner asked several people detailed questions about how workers coped with the storm and what type of damage it caused to their homes.

Employees described at length how they worked through the night Friday to clean up debris to get the parks ready to open the following day.

Disney shut down Animal Kingdom for a day, however, citing debris and a shortage of employees. The park re-opened on Sunday.

On Monday, Disney reopened its Typhoon Lagoon water park and Fort Wilderness campground.

this is from the orlando sentinel

guess it was good of him to come & show he cares

 

[Golter]

Anything positive about Eisner will be greeted unkindly on these boards. I for one seem to think he has done a good job over the last year. This is what leaders are supposed to do.

 

[crusader]

I'd like to know what (if anything) he did for these employees as a result.

 

[Chuck S]

What would you expect him to do for them? It was a natural disaster, some people lost everything, some came through in relatively great shape. I'm sure some CMs are on some sort of extended leave to clean up their homes or help with their families, but WDW still has to operate relatively normally.

 

[WDSearcher]

Originally posted by crusader
I'd like to know what (if anything) he did for these employees as a result.

What the company is doing includes:

* Free hotel rooms for CMs and their families if their homes have
been badly damaged;
* 50% discounts on hotels for CMs who are having electricity
issues and want to get into an air-conditioned space while
they're waiting for service;
*$5000 of immediate financial support to CMs who have
sustained catastrophic damage to their primary residence or
severe personal injury;
*$1000 of immediate financial support to CMs who need
assistance with recovery from the storm;
* free child care for CMs during the extra week and a half that
local kids will be out of school;
* free ice and water at a number of pick-up locations;
* donations of toys, games, and stuffed animals for kids who
have been affected by the storm;
* donations of household items and clothing to families;

and quite a bit more.

The Company has also committed $100,000 to the American Red Cross and the Heart of Florida United Way hurricane relief funds.

I'm not sure what you feel Michael himself should do for these employees, or what you feel would be an adequate response from him. So far, the Disney company has come through very quickly and very big for its CMs and the surrounding community.

 

[KNWVIKING]

..... I wonder what other employers in the area are doing for their employees.

 

[Chuck S]

WDSearcher,

Those are wonderful things for the Disney company to do for their CMs!

 

[Peter Pirate]

He's been much criticized, but BRAVO Michael and BRAVO Disney. It is still head and shoulders above the rest.

 

[JudithM]

WDSearcher, thanks for the info. I am sure CMs affected by the hurricane are greatful for any & all help/assistance they receive.

 

[airlarry!]

Kudos to the company for coming up big in a time of need for many people.

I did hear that a strange thing happened with Cou$in Mikey.

Apparently, as he arrived, this conversation took place.

Ei$ner: I want to see for myself the scope of integrity in the Magic Kingdom. You know this was Walt's favorite park, and all.

Flunkey: Well, err, sir, Mr. Disney never actually visited the Magic Kigdom, sir.

Ei$ner: Right, right, never mind the details. Can you clean my Rolex please son, and bring me to that cool Skyway Station in Fantasticalland. A nice trip on the Skyway will let me survey the area.

Flunkey: Well, err, sir, the Skyway is closed, and has been for years.

Ei$ner: What moron did that? I loved that bucket thing. I used to like dropping dollar bills to the peasants below. You know, "Let them eat cake" and all that.

Flunkey: Well, err, sir, you did. We needed money for that new executive washroom in Burbank, remember. You cut that budget out.

Ei$ner: Oh yeah, you're right. I love that cologne dispenser. Fourteen different brands, all at my fingertips. Well, let's head to Epcot.

Ei$ner: I see the golf ball looks good. How's that Russian and Spanish pavilion coming along? I don't see any onion domes. And why is that fish on top of Canada?

Flunkey: Well, err, sir, you said no more expansion unless someone pays for it remember? We had to buy Fox Family.

Ei$ner: (clutches heart) NEVER SAY THAT NAME! It's the repurposed ABC Family channel. NEVER! NEVER! NEVER!

Flunkey: And that's not a fish, it's a dolphin. Your friend Graves designed it remember?

Ei$ner: What moron decided to let the top stick out over the World Mall?

Flunkey: Well, err, sir, you did. You said it was good advertising for all the hotels we were gonna build in that area.

Ei$ner: All right then, call and make sure that the subs are still working, and then we'll hop on that neat Monerail thingamajig over to Animal Zoodom and then to Eisner Studios to make sure those two parks are fine too.

Flunkey: May I go to the restroom, sir, I'm feeling a bit nauseous?

 

[DancingBear]

Originally posted by WDSearcher
What the company is doing includes:

* Free hotel rooms for CMs and their families if their homes have
been badly damaged;
* 50% discounts on hotels for CMs who are having electricity
issues and want to get into an air-conditioned space while
they're waiting for service

Sure, but in keeping with Eisner's preferred caste system, they are probably relegated to the cheaper resorts!

 

[airlarry!]

I laughed at that one, DB, good one. Thanks for the early morning chuckle.

 

[crusader]

Thanks wdwsearcher -

My question wasn't meant to imply a witchhunt. I really was interested to learn what the company was doing for the employees directly affected by the hurricane.

The only thing I had read here was that 100,000 was given to the Red Cross which didn't seem to indicate any direct assistance to the CM's.

I appreciate the information and commend the company's efforts. Well done indeed!

sidenote to airlarry: Funny! But seriously, I don't think you'll ever recover from the fox family purchase.

 

[WDSearcher]

Originally posted by DancingBear
Sure, but in keeping with Eisner's preferred caste system, they are probably relegated to the cheaper resorts!

Actually, it's on a space-available basis. Several of my friends are staying at the Caribbean, a couple of them are at Yacht Club, three families I know are at Pop Century, and two people I work with are staying with their families at Wilderness Lodge.

 

[airlarry!]

Crusader, thanks, but NEVER SAY THAT NAME.

I agree with the statement that the safest place in a hurrican may have been the WDW resort, and it is a testament to the strength of the company and its construction that this bore out, and the response to the hurrican has been stellar.

However, Hurricane Murdoch wreaked a devastating toll on our beloved company.

That $5 billion invested wisely and spread out among DL's second gate, DLP's second gate, HK's first gate, and transportation infrastructure at WDW would have been better than a 'repurposed' family channel.

You are right. It will be a long time before we get over Hurricane Murdoch, even though institutional investors obviously have shorter memories than mine.

 

[crusader]

You are right. It will be a long time before we get over Hurricane Murdoch, even though institutional investors obviously have shorter memories than mine.

Very true. The institutional investors don't really have a memory problem so much as they're collectively recoving from a WallStreet tsunami which makes the 5 bil look like a drop in the bucket.

Like you, I would have preferred the money was invested more wisely but considering the times, I'm more lenient toward the mistake.

Thanks for the great read.

 

[merryg]

I noticed someone said probably in the cheaper resorts. If he had given the CM's deluxe resorts and this happened to bump someone who had reservations for the past year to be downgraded, I am sure that would make the vacationer in question quite upset.

IMO, I think CM's are lucky that Disney has provided them with some assistance. More than likely, the poor guy who worked at the local convenience store or a Mom and Pop's type of establishment did not receive anything from their employer.

Like I said, just my opinion.

 

[YoHo]

There isn't nearly enough meanspirited vitriol in this thread. Am I at the right board?

 

[JudithM]

Originally posted by DancingBear
Sure, but in keeping with Eisner's preferred caste system, they are probably relegated to the cheaper resorts!

I talked to a friend in the Orlando area earlier this week. Both his telephone & power had just been restored. He said if it hadn't come back by that afternoon, he was going to hotel for a hot shower & some air conditioning. I doubt he (or any WDW CM) would care if the room was at Pop Century, CBR, or any place else.

 

[Bethshaya]

Originally posted by Chuck S
What would you expect him to do for them? It was a natural disaster, some people lost everything, some came through in relatively great shape. I'm sure some CMs are on some sort of extended leave to clean up their homes or help with their families, but WDW still has to operate relatively normally.

My company has an Employee Emergency fund. If at any time an employee is a victim of a natural disaster, criminal act or in dire need of financial aide, all they have to do is request it.

In 1990, there was a postal worker that "went postal" in one area of the country and several employees lost loved ones. Money was requested as a donation to those families to help with the cost of coping with one income for a while and a trust fund was created for college for their children.

When Hugo ran through FL a few years ago, more money went to employees with damaged homes to help with repair costs.

On 9/11 more financial aide went to the 4 families of the employees that we lost at the WTC that day.

All the money from this fund is donated by other employees through the United Way fund drive each year. We can specifically request money to go to the Emergency funds so that our own people can benefit from the charitable donations of other co workers.

Each dollar is matched dollar for dollar by the company.

If your company really cares about its community and employees, Disney can do much.