interesting article.

[NotUrsula]

Beware of red herrings.

The woman profiled in the story is overweight. So what? She's also a union shop steward who is naturally going to preach about higher wages for line workers. So what? Could the reporter have chosen a better person to follow if she wanted to pull the heartstrings of the skeptical? Sure she could have; anyone who has ever seen (or even heard of) The Florida Project film knows that there are theme park workers living in even more tenuous conditions than the subject of this story is.

The point of the story was to look at how/why living conditions for CMs have changed since the new union contract was put into place at WDW, and the implications that the wage increase has for the theme park industry and the Orlando economy at large. The story is not about CM's being overweight, making bad career choices, or, for cripe's sake, feeding ice to dogs.

The story is about the effect of Disney's CM pay raises on the long-term viability of the tourism industry as the shaft that drives the economic engine of the Orlando metro area. The clear conclusion, IMO, is that is making some difference, but not nearly enough to compensate for Orlando's over-inflated COL. Because of that, this trickle isn't really doing much to benefit the overall economy of the region, because it is all going to rent or gasoline, and does not increase discretionary spending in a meaningful way.

Employers in the Orlando hospitality industry watched that contract negotiation like it was a blockbuster movie, because they claimed that if Disney raised base pay, that was going to have disastrous implications industry-wide in the region, because they would have to match it to compete, and that it would be too costly for them to pay that much. I'm a Disney shareholder, and I also hold shares in stock of several other publicly-traded Orlando-based companies. I read my reports, and I know from the bottom line. The truth is that well-run companies can well afford to pay this paltry increase to Orlando hourly workers; it barely will make a dent in profits, and in fact, will probably cut down on labor cost in the long run, because the higher pay will reduce turnover and attract a better class of employee. Any company that goes under or falls to a hostile buyout over this pittance in increased labor costs is badly run enough to deserve what happens

 

[dlavender]

You do realize this is just an example of the many thousands of low wage workers. They don’t all have the same story. Same ppl who are so flippant about her struggle are the ones who constantly whine about those on welfare who don’t work.
Talk about entitlement...I’m special & deserve what I have b/c I “earned” it & it has nothing to do with fortune & those who are less fortunate are beneath me & can starve for all I care.

Thank you! Why don't people see that?!

I will give WDW credit for trying, they are doing more than most of the hospitality industry. (The one additional thing that I think they could do that wouldn't cost them too much is to regularize their shift structure to make working hours a bit more predictable for baseline employees. I've spoken to CM's about their work, and although they are usually very careful to put a positive spin on things, the one thing that comes up every time as being very difficult for part-timers is that it is almost impossible to get a second job elsewhere or work WDW as a second job, because they usually get very short notice of what the week's shifts will be. Most of the workers I have spoken to say that they are more than willing to work a second job, but that they cannot without breaking WDW's availability rules.)

However, the root of this problem lies not so much with the employers, but with the local and state governments. They are too much in bed with developers, and unwilling to keep them out of areas where the working-class need to be in order to fuel the economy properly. It's not just unskilled laborers, either; it's teachers, and social workers, and bus drivers, and safety inspectors, etc. My DS went to school in Tampa, and he looked into entry-level professional jobs in Orlando. I worked with him to look at how that might work out with paying housing costs and his student loan debt. It took VERY little time to determine that there was really no point at all in looking for a job in the Orlando metro area, because the salaries being offered were inadequate to cover the cost of living, which is ridiculously inflated because so much of the local housing stock is either really high-end, or given over to short-term rental use. The closest affordable places we could find were well over an hour's commute each way, and that would have eaten up everything he made. He stayed in the Tampa area, where in spite of the proximity of the ocean and the number of 55+ restricted communities, there is more affordable housing stock for folks who make working-class money.

If they want to keep the tourism engine running smoothly and help job creation, legislators and county officials in inland central Florida MUST put a curb on development and institute very strict restrictions on where the short-term rental market is allowed to be. Because of all the lakes and cachement ponds that keep Orange, northern Osceola, and eastern Polk counties above water, there is not much usable land left near-into Orlando, and what used to be small postwar homes that once were lived in by agricultural workers and railroad workers and sherriff's deputies is now a forest of HomeAway rentals. There are more than enough hotels and rentals to hold the tourists now; it is time to make a place for the locals. There is a truly dire need for subsizided low-to-middle income housing, and the major employers in the area really need to work with government to get it provided within 45 minutes of those employers' property, and with regular direct bus service provided. As it is now, the plan seems to be to rely on the theme parks hiring only retirees or kids who still live with their parents -- people who don't need to carry market-rate housing costs out of their paychecks.

PS: One of the things that regularizing at least some of the part-time work shifts could do is to make it possible for WDW (and other theme parks if they wish) to offer bus shuttles to outlying lower-cost communities where a lot of their workers live. WDW, for instance, could run shuttles from Lakeland &/or Plant City to the south, Four Corners to the west, the UCF area to the NE, and St. Cloud to the east. Here is an interesting article I read about a similar program undertaken by FedEx in the Mississippi Delta; they bring workers in by bus to work night shift at their hub at the Memphis, TN airport: https://www.wsj.com/articles/fedex-goes-deep-into-mississippi-delta-to-find-workers-11575714601 For low-wage workers who have a long commute, not having to pay for gas or tolls to get to work, and being able to sleep during the drive, makes a HUGE difference in how far a paycheck goes. It's not like Disney doesn't have busses at their disposal. Another possibility, though it would not be as generous, is to set up their fuel contracts to be able to re-sell gasoline to CM's at cost in backstage locations, or to arrange with the fuel companies that lease the on-property gas stations to give CM's a hefty discount on gasoline.

This is another great post. I grew up in central FL. When I finished school, I quickly realized that I was not going to be able to live in Orlando. Housing and general COL are both insane. Even people that I know who work higher up at WDW live 40+ miles away.

 

[LSUmiss]

Thank you! Why don't people see that?!



This is another great post. I grew up in central FL. When I finished school, I quickly realized that I was not going to be able to live in Orlando. Housing and general COL are both insane. Even people that I know who work higher up at WDW live 40+ miles away.

Because it doesn’t fit their narrative that they deserve what they have b/c they earned it & anyone else’s struggle is b/c their personal choices & none of it has anything to do with being fortunate.

 

[Hikergirl]

Because it doesn’t fit their narrative that they deserve what they have b/c they earned it & anyone else’s struggle is b/c their personal choices & none of it has anything to do with being fortunate.

By fortunate you mean to have been raised to value personal responsibility?
Or maybe to have been raised not to view yourself as victim of circumstances that someone else needs to change for you?
Maybe it's about being raised to have a strong work ethic and be willing to sacrifice and make hard decisions in order to better yourself?
And these are negative things in your mind?

 

[morgan98]

By fortunate you mean to have been raised to value personal responsibility?
Or maybe to have been raised not to view yourself as victim of circumstances that someone else needs to change for you?
Maybe it's about being raised to have a strong work ethic and be willing to sacrifice and make hard decisions in order to better yourself?
And these are negative things in your mind?

I was going to respond similarly. The person in this article had different skills and training, but has chosen not to use them. Also who you pick for partners, having children, etc. are all choices.

I am sure this is not a popular opinion, but these things are most definitely choices. People make different choices, but they are choices none the less.

I am not saying bad things never happen, but to act as if things are earned only because you are fortunate is just as inaccurate.

 

[Hikergirl]

I was going to respond similarly. The person in this article had different skills and training, but has chosen not to use them. Also who you pick for partners, having children, etc. are all choices.

I am sure this is not a popular opinion, but these things are most definitely choices. People make difference choices, but they are choices none the less.

I am not saying bad things never happen, but to act as if things are earned only because you are fortunate is just as inaccurate.

And a big slap in the face to anyone who has been able to get themselves out poverty or because they made the right decisions that enabled them too.
I guess for some they only deserve respect if they did nothing and remained there.

 

[Pink Partridge]

I was going to respond similarly. The person in this article had different skills and training, but has chosen not to use them. Also who you pick for partners, having children, etc. are all choices.

I am sure this is not a popular opinion, but these things are most definitely choices. People make difference choices, but they are choices none the less.

I am not saying bad things never happen, but to act as if things are earned only because you are fortunate is just as inaccurate.

I agree. And it does matter who they chose for the story. They featured a woman that CHOOSES to work for a lower wage, even though she has an education that would allow her to work for a higher wage.

They chose to feature a woman that WANTS to be married to a loser that drained her bank account and didn't feed her child while she was in the hospital.

A woman that had a baby with another loser that obviously isn't paying child support, since there were worries there wasn't food to feed said child.

It was written for drama and sensationalism with a lead that has chosen this life. I can't take the story seriously, to be honest.

This article could have been so much more. A wasted opportunity.

 

[dlavender]

Because it doesn’t fit their narrative that they deserve what they have b/c they earned it & anyone else’s struggle is b/c their personal choices & none of it has anything to do with being fortunate.

The "just pull yourself up by your bootstraps" refrain that you see here and elsewhere is tired and ungrounded in reality.

I've found that people don't even understand or realize the advantages that they had. Of course there are many success stories of people who made something from nothing, and I'm hoping this CM and others become one of them. But statistically, they are outliers. I know people have won the lottery, but I wouldn't suggest it as a means of enrichment........

It's ok to want people to be more financially secure. It's ok to want to help them and acknowledge that our system can be very punitive and unforgiving to those who have had missteps. It's ok to want to work to make the system less punitive and more forgiving. Just saying that people should "do better" is a cop out and allows one to continue the false narrative that "anyone can make it with hard work"..........

 

[wvjules]

The "just pull yourself up by your bootstraps" refrain that you see here and elsewhere is tired and ungrounded in reality.

I've found that people don't even understand or realize the advantages that they had. Of course there are many success stories of people who made something from nothing, and I'm hoping this CM and others become one of them. But statistically, they are outliers. I know people have one the lottery, but I wouldn't suggest it as a means of enrichment........

It's ok to want people to be more financially secure. It's ok to want to help them and acknowledge that our system can be very punitive and unforgiving to those who have had missteps. It's ok to want to work to make the system less punitive and more forgiving. Just saying that people should "do better" is a cop out and allows one to continue the false narrative that "anyone can make it with hard work"..........

I think there are very few cases of people that can't make it with hard work. For the majority, that isn't the case.

Why do you think that pulling yourself up by your bootstraps isn't grounded in reality?

 

[dlavender]

I think there are very few cases of people that can't make it with hard work. For the majority, that isn't the case.

Why do you think that pulling yourself up by your bootstraps isn't grounded in reality?

If someone has a medical condition, working harder won't help.

If someone has children and no family, working harder won't help (childcare hours are limited).

If someone has a sick child, working harder won't help.

If someone lacks the IQ, working harder won't help.

There's a ton of scenarios where working harder doesn't help. Especially when you are starting from behind.

 

[Hikergirl]

The "just pull yourself up by your bootstraps" refrain that you see here and elsewhere is tired and ungrounded in reality.

Um, for many of us that was certainly the reality. I guess it doesn't occur to you though that the same people who have done that think others are capable of it too.
I guess you don't give too much credit to people then do you?

 

[dlavender]

Um, for many of us that was certainly the reality. I guess it doesn't occur to you though that the same people who have done that think others are capable of it too.
I guess you don't give too much credit to people then do you?

I didn't say they weren't capable, if you could quote that it would be nice, or just put words in my mouth, that's fine....

You'll have to go read the whole post.............look for the statistics part........or the advantages part....they are in the same paragraph.

 

[Hikergirl]

I didn't say they weren't capable, if you could quote that it would be nice, or just put words in my mouth, that's fine....

You'll have to go read the whole post.............look for the statistics part........or the advantages part....they are in the same paragraph.

I see alot of opinions in your post, that's about it.

 

[dlavender]

I see alot of opinions in your post, that's about it.

Well, hopefully you read it in its entirety

 

[LSUmiss]

By fortunate you mean to have been raised to value personal responsibility?
Or maybe to have been raised not to view yourself as victim of circumstances that someone else needs to change for you?
Maybe it's about being raised to have a strong work ethic and be willing to sacrifice and make hard decisions in order to better yourself?
And these are negative things in your mind?

Actually, yes, having decent parents is just one of many things many ppl are not fortunate enough to have had. So instead of believing you deserve certain things b/c you are better than others, count your blessings & realize you have an advantage over some ppl. Collective you btw.

 

[dlavender]

Actually, yes, having decent parents is just one of many things many ppl are not fortunate enough to have had. So instead of believing you deserve certain things b/c you are better than others, count your blessings & realize you have an advantage over some ppl. Collective you btw.

I didn't even catch that! It shows perfectly my point about people not even realizing the advantages that they have or have had....

 

[Searc]

And a big slap in the face to anyone who has been able to get themselves out poverty or because they made the right decisions that enabled them too.
I guess for some they only deserve respect if they did nothing and remained there.

Ah yes, the ever popular jingoism "pull yourself up by the bootstraps".

 

[NotUrsula]

I think there are very few cases of people that can't make it with hard work. For the majority, that isn't the case.

Why do you think that pulling yourself up by your bootstraps isn't grounded in reality?

I don't think that anyone is saying it is generally impossible; just that there are a lot of variables in how successful one can be in "pulling oneself up" through sheer hard work.

What isn't reality is believing that what worked for you will work for everyone.

You know, when I was a young woman just out of school, I did believe that it was just that simple. I grew up pretty hardscrabble, though because we were in the country in a warm climate and we hunted, fished, and grew veggies, hunger was one want we didn't have to worry about. My dad worked at a skilled trade, and my mother stayed home with we kids. (That wasn't as devoted as it might seem; when you live in the sticks and have proved yourself incapable of learning to drive, your options are limited. Mom quite frankly stank at dealing with children, but since she could not drive and there was no public transportation, getting a job while we were in school was not an option. She took on sewing projects at home, but that was the best she could do.)

My father died when I was 12, and our standard of living immediately fell to about half of what it was before. We lived on a survivor's pension. I worked hard in a crappy impoverished school district, diligently studied how to win at the scholarship game, and got myself through college. I did it, and l was pretty darned insufferable about how if I could do it, so could anyone else. Fast forward about 6 years: in a new job, I was assigned to learn a process that involved some pretty complicated math, and no matter how hard I tried, I could not learn to do it without making mistakes that had to be corrected. I just could not get it down solid. My trainer lost her temper and said, "How can you not get this? It's easy stuff." And then it hit me: she could do it, and therefore I must be lazy if I could not do it, too. But I wasn't lazy; I was working my butt off, and my brain just would not cooperate. That's when I started to look with new eyes at the people I had left behind in the world that I grew up in. The truth is this: much as we may wish it otherwise, hard work alone is not the key to "rising above your raisin'"; you have to have a certain measure of luck to go along with it. Hit the bad luck jackpot and your hard work won't count for nearly as much as it otherwise might have. I worked danged hard, yes, but I also got lucky in a lot of ways. I had some teachers who encouraged me, I had enough intelligence and patience to do well in school, and I was reasonably attractive, which undoubtedly made the difference sometimes when I was bluffing my way through a job interview. Here's another one: when my father was dying of lung cancer, even though it was occupational, he made me promise never to smoke. (Poor Daddy. He gave me a leg up (and saved me a fortune) with that one.)

There is a book that I like a lot, called Heartland, by Sarah Smarsh. She's a journalist; a graduate of the University of Kansas J School. Before that, she grew up on a farm, and she comes from a long line of impoverished women. Early in the book, she makes this comment:

How can you talk about the poor child without addressing the country that let her be so? It's a relatively new way of thinking for me. I was raised to put all responsibility on the individual, on the bootstraps with which she ought to put herself up. But it's the way of things that environment changes outcomes. Or, to put it in my first language: "The crop depends on the weather, dudnit? A good seed'll do 'er part and sprout, but come hail 'n' yer plumb outta luck regardless."

 

[OKW8297]

Oh come on, I'm overweight, but you don't get to be 500 lb. without continuously stuffing your pie hole with garbage. Have you never seen the shows on cable? I have no compassion for anyone who cries about their weight, but then puts down 2 full pizzas down for lunch then looks for 5 orders of french fries for dessert...

Oh sweetie you are speaking to the wrong one. As someone who fights my food issues every.single.day. (And I’m currently thin) you have no *!@#$& idea what battle someone is fighting or their issues. Please sit down.

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

She chose to leave the field of radiology tech because of a single job with "poor working conditions". She chose to take an unskilled low paying job when she had skills and previous experience in a higher paying field.
Do you actually think where she worked previously was the one and only job for radiology tech available within a 63 mile radius of her home (you know the distance she chooses to commute for her theme park job)?

People all over make adjustments in their lives when one job doesn't work out, especially when they have kids to take care of. This woman has worked for Disney for almost 7 years and at times can't put gas in her car. She was willing to leave her radiology tech job because of poor working conditions, yet here she is still at Disney not being able to feed her child. It's all about choices here.