How much does Disney pay the CMs?

[DianeV]

TO WDSEARCHER:

Do you know how to get information on Disney World security jobs? My husband is currently a police officer and we are looking for information for the future. I cannot find anything on the job sites I have found online
thanks!

 

[WDSearcher]

TO WDSEARCHER:

Do you know how to get information on Disney World security jobs? My husband is currently a police officer and we are looking for information for the future. I cannot find anything on the job sites I have found online
thanks!

Sorry ... I don't work in or with Security. I'm sure you could call Casting at WDW and ask, or simply talk to some Security folks when you visit next. If you call Casting and tell them that you will be visiting in X month and would like to talk to someone about Security jobs, they can probably arrange a short chat with your husband. But it really depends on time of year and how busy they are. If he's looking for info for the future, and is not looking for something right now, it may be difficult to find solid info. A hundred things could change between now and when your husband is ready to find a job here.

One general comment I will make, though, is that people seem to think that getting a job at Disney is some big, mysterious thing. It's not. It's like getting a job anywhere. If your husband was interested in working for Brinks or K-Mart or the LA Coliseum sometime in the future, how would he approach them? Just look at Disney the same way. There's honestly no "magic" involved with getting a job here.

 

[Aidensmom]

Do you know how to get information on Disney World security jobs? My husband is currently a police officer and we are looking for information for the future. I cannot find anything on the job sites I have found online
thanks!

My DH is a security officer in Tampa, and has found that most companies do not employ their own security, but use an agency such as Security Forces, Allied Security, Wackenhut, etc. Not sure if Disney does this, but I know that until just recently Busch Gardens did. If they work for an agency, there should be some indication (a badge, patch, hat) of that on their uniform.

Also, just to let you know, security officers most places in Florida do not get paid much either, though it is a little better than your customer service Disney CM , and the agencies are not real good with benefits.

I will tell you that I think that some of the statements people are making about people choosing to make that amount of money are a little elitist. I agree Disney pays the same as most customer service jobs, but that doesn't mean that people don't deserve to make more. If all you are qualified to do is flip burgers, well you can make $7/hr or you can make nothing. I applaud these people for working their little butts off for this little amount of money. They could have just made the choice to do nothing and live on public assistance instead - would not be much different of a lifestyle monetarily. Not everyone is qualified for a higher paying job, nor has the means to become qualified. Some people do not have a support system to assist them to be able to go back to school, and some people may have learning disabilities or lower intelligence and can't get a higher education, or may have a mental illness or some other type of disability. Yes, you can start at the bottom and work up, but there are only so many jobs at any workplace for someone with only a high school education or lower. That does not mean that these people deserve to not be able to make a good enough living to support a family.

I have a well paying (for Florida) professional job now, but I have also worked in customer service positions. I can tell you that in a lot of cases, I had to work a lot harder when doing the lower paying jobs.

 

[crisi]

crisi:

I guess you dont understand profit sharing with employees? Many many companies do that and it boosts morale and makes the employees want to make the company even better.

Yes I guess profit sharing by investing is one way but you dont have to do much but invest money to get that..the workers are the ones who are actually making YOU money then

I do. I happen to think ESPPs work a lot better than profit sharing. And that targeted employee bonus programs work even better. Disney does have an ESPP - though it may not be open to hourly employees. And I understand they have targeted bonus programs as well.

And without "my" money, the workers have no capital, there is no Disney. So its a symbiotic relationship. Their labor is worth what they are paid for it....my money is worth the return I get on investment. Frankly, my ROI hasn't been great - apparently there isn't a lot of profit to share.

 

[WDSearcher]

Wow I cant believe some of the rude posts here! Its a fact that Disney makes alot of money and you can be sure that the higher ups make alot too! Why not reward the ones who actually do the work and have gotten Disney where it is today?

But isnt' that true everywhere? You think Bill Gates gives up part of his salary so that the people on the production line can have a bonus? It's "the world of business." It's how it works. Plus, Disney, like every other company, also has to satisfy shareholders -- a great number of whom are also Disney CMs who are counting on that stock to help get them through retirement.

My question to you is ... would you be willing to pay more for a Disney ticket, a Disney resort, a Disney cruise and all that Disney merchandise so that the CMs can be paid more and the stockholders will remain satisfied? I'm thinking that you'd probably rather not.

The thing is ... Disney can't fix the minimum wage problem. That's a government thing. Tell your elected representatives that the minimum wage needs to be higher, and it will be raised. But until then, Disney is not evil to be paying people what the market will bear. And you know .... even if Disney raised their prices or sold off ESPN or did whatever they had to do to pay everyone twice what they're making now, people would STILL be complaining about not making as much as they should be making.

 

[DianeV]

Yes apparently all those ESPPs and bonus's the higher ups are making must be cutting into "your" profits! A real shame isnt it? You dont seem to get that the hourly employees are probably the hardest working employees they have yet nothing indicates they get any of your 'ESPPs' or 'employee bonus programs'

Why is that do you think? I'm sorry but you sure have a crappy attitude

You really think your small amount of shares you most likely own make the difference in an employees pay? Your head must be pretty big by now

I'm sorry but you really should take a look at what you are posting here--

I do. I happen to think ESPPs work a lot better than profit sharing. And that targeted employee bonus programs work even better. Disney does have an ESPP - though it may not be open to hourly employees. And I understand they have targeted bonus programs as well.

And without "my" money, the workers have no capital, there is no Disney. So its a symbiotic relationship. Their labor is worth what they are paid for it....my money is worth the return I get on investment. Frankly, my ROI hasn't been great - apparently there isn't a lot of profit to share.

 

[DianeV]

Aidensmom:

These are Disney employees as their uniforms have the Disney patch etc. and I saw a story online about how in November Disney Security rejected a contract so they seem to be employed by Disney

Hubby is a police officer right now making good money since he has been there 15 years and as much as we want to move to Florida I know it would be a huge paycut even if Disney pays their security people a decent wage. I looked on the Disney job site and there was nothing that referred to Security positions so that is why I was wondering if anyone knew about that

 

[brentalex]

I get profit sharing as a stockholder. Want part of the profit - own part of the company. I'm not sure why I should share my profits (which are already pretty miniscule).

Yes, no one is forced to work anyplace. But companies have gotten greedy for the higher management and the shareholders at the expense of the workers.
This is from the Cincinnatil Enquirer
"In 1970, the average full-time worker earned $32,522, according to the National Institute of Pension Administrators. During that same year, average compensation among the top 100 CEOs was $1.25 million, according to Forbes magazine's annual survey, which includes salary, bonus, the value of restricted stock awards and stock options exercised.

In 1999, the average worker's pay had climbed only slightly, to $35,864. The average compensation of the 100 top CEOs had increased more than 2,800 percent, to $37.5 million.

"Executives have experienced huge gains compared to the average pay," said economics professor Emmanuel Saez of University of California at Berkeley, one of the study's authors."
Disney certainly could afford to pay the CM's a bit more and still have plenty of profit left.

 

[DianeV]

brentalex: THANK YOU, my point exactly!

 

[WDSearcher]

Disney does have an ESPP - though it may not be open to hourly employees.

It is. I've been buying stock since I started as an hourly in 1988. (Of course, I keep selling it to do things like buy cars and houses and things, but such is life!)

 

[WDSearcher]

brentalex: THANK YOU, my point exactly!

yes ... but let's remember that this is a universal problem in the business world. It's not just Disney.

I know that doesn't make it right, but it's not like the rest of the world is all generous and philanthropic and Disney is the big, bad corporate wolf. Even Walt paid his animators the least he could pay them and still get good artists. If he had paid significantly higher than the industry standard, it's likely they wouldn't have ever gone on strike or jettisoned over to Bluth when they had a chance.

 

[Sk8Leigh]

I have a friend who is a CM in Entertainment at WDW. She's a character (Chip & Dale, etc.). She's actually a CPA and a lawyer! But she chooses to work as a character for very low pay because she loves Disney. She gets to get into the parks whenever she wants to, and she loves her work (although sometimes Chip is hot and tired!). I haven't asked her what she makes, but I know that there's a system, like when she's on a stage she makes $0.25 more/hour. And she really racked up a lot of overtime when she entertained at one of the resorts during a hurricane! She's hoping to eventually be able to get a job there in legal, and just took the Florida bar exam. She was originally trying to get a position as a lawyer, but quickly found out that they do a lot of hiring from within and only want people with a lot of experience, so she took a job as a character just to work there. I have no idea if she'll be able to eventually get into the legal department or not. (If there's anybody out there with connections, let me know! ) But she knew about her low-paying job before she moved to Florida, and it was her decision to take it.

CMs might deserve to be making more, just as you might say that about people in many jobs and places (such as teachers), but really, that's just talking philosophically about the ways of the world. Reality is that, as others are saying, Disney pays as little as they can, and if you can't afford to work there, find another job. It's like that with any job. I don't see how my friend can afford it, she might be getting help from her parents, I don't know. But she has no family to support, and as long as she can manage it and it's worth it to her, that's great. (I love going to visit her! But if you have a family and need more money, maybe you should work somewhere else. And if there are people who have a hard time finding a job, well, that's the way it is, isn't it?

 

[brentalex]

yes ... but let's remember that this is a universal problem in the business world. It's not just Disney.

I know that doesn't make it right, but it's not like the rest of the world is all generous and philanthropic and Disney is the big, bad corporate wolf. Even Walt paid his animators the least he could pay them and still get good artists. If he had paid significantly higher than the industry standard, it's likely they wouldn't have ever gone on strike or jettisoned over to Bluth when they had a chance.

I did not mean to imply that this is a Disney problem. It is certainly an American corporate problem, including the large telecommunications company where I work. I get paid very well, but the CEO gets paid VERY VERY VERY VERY.... VERY well.
Some companies do seem to still really care about their employees, but to many they are just another replaceable part.

 

[crisi]

Yes apparently all those ESPPs and bonus's the higher ups are making must be cutting into "your" profits! A real shame isnt it? You dont seem to get that the hourly employees are probably the hardest working employees they have yet nothing indicates they get any of your 'ESPPs' or 'employee bonus programs'

Why is that do you think? I'm sorry but you sure have a crappy attitude

You really think your small amount of shares you most likely own make the difference in an employees pay? Your head must be pretty big by now

I'm sorry but you really should take a look at what you are posting here--

My attitude is that I should get paid for my investment at my worth. If my skills are worth $8 an hour, that's what I should get paid. If my money is worth 5%, that's what it should make. Likewise, I expect to pay for things at their value....I'm not willing to shop at the expensive grocery store and pay $1 more per pound for the same quality meat I can get at Sams Club - unless the expensive grocery store is giving me something I value at that extra $1 (like bagging). The market distributes profit evenly. I personally think CEO salaries have gotten ridiculous (along with salaries for movie starts and pro atheletes) but as long as people are willing to pay them, my voice doesn't count.

If you think getting paid your fair market value is "having a lousy attitude" then you have a different definition of fair than I do. And should probably take an Econ course.

Thanks for the invitation to leave though.

 

[DianeV]

You so totally didnt get the point..unfortunately there isnt much else I can say -

 

[crisi]

No, please, explain your point. Why do Disney CMs deserve to get paid more than their fair market value?

 

[lsteadman]

truly made me grateful and appreciative of my situation. Sometimes we forget how blessed and fortunate we are.

I am glad this "debate" it going on because it made me reflected on how blessed I am and I am sure some of you feel the same.

Enjoy your trips whenever you go and be nice to the CMs.

 

[DianeV]

Fair market value means nothing. Its what the companies come up with to justify their cheapness. I never said it was just a Disney problem. Its all over. This thread just happened to be about Disney. I happen to think that there are many jobs that are very underpaid for what they do.

Its very sickening to see all these companies making big bucks and paying their CEOs and higher ups big bucks and bonuses etc and the ones who are out there busting their butts to make the company money dont get paid much.

Just exactly who came up with these so called fair market value numbers? I can say that I happen to think that waiters and waitresses deserve to make $10 an hour. That is fair to me. You are naive if you think that it isnt the companies who have come up with this junk in order to justify making even more money by paying certain employees less. No one wants to be the one who decides to start paying 'their' employees more and they hope no one else will either..

Is a dishwasher any less valuable to a company then the manager is? Are ticket sellers at Disney any less valuable then the store managers?

Again I know this is useless because you are very closed minded

 

[Sk8Leigh]

Just exactly who came up with these so called fair market value numbers? I can say that I happen to think that waiters and waitresses deserve to make $10 an hour. That is fair to me. You are naive if you think that it isnt the companies who have come up with this junk in order to justify making even more money by paying certain employees less. No one wants to be the one who decides to start paying 'their' employees more and they hope no one else will either..

Is a dishwasher any less valuable to a company then the manager is? Are ticket sellers at Disney any less valuable then the store managers?

Again I know this is useless because you are very closed minded

Fair market value isn't about being "fair". Just take the word fair out of it. It's about what the market will bear. Supply and demand. If no one is willing to be a waiter/CM/whatever for $7, then the businesses will have to up it to $8 and see if people will work for that. Or if they have it at $7 and have plenty of people, they can drop it to $6 and see if people will work for that. That is how these numbers get established. It's not a conspiracy, it's just economics. (I can't believe I just said that. I hated econ in school! And I'm a CPA. ) So as long as there are people willing to work at Disney for less money because it's Disney, they'll pay less.

 

[DianeV]

Well the insinuation was that is all they are "worth"..and I dont think that is right or 'fair'