Just the Facts about Recent Changes

[Boston5602]

Thanks for the info SAMMIE !

I was at the Biltmore in Providence 2 weeks ago and Valet theree is $22.00 a night conveniently charged directly to your room .

Benefits. And not just any benefits but UNIONIZED benefits. That's the killer part.

As a union member , I would just like to point out in case someone doesn't know it. Union benefits are just part of a pay package that Disney and the employees have agreed to. I know for my co. we get a nice hourly wage but the co. pays $0.00 for our healthcare. I pay that whole bill. So part of the unionized benefits of a Disney valet could be nice hourly rate but that each person has to carry their own liability insurance for car damage. I have no idea what they are but just saying possiblility.

 

[dizfanz]

hmm there has to be more to it than that. If the outsourced company is working on Disney property, Disney will still ultimatley be partially legally responsible for any problems.

Well, is the liabilty Disney carries for cars on their property any different than when you park a car at say a shopping mall. Most will say they are not responsible for damage or theft of your vehicle.

But the liability I was talking about is that which covers the car while it is being operated.

 

[CarolA]

Other outsouced folks dress in "Disney attire" (Check out those balloon vendors at MK. Guess who they work for? It's not Mickey!)

 

[jdg345]

Sammie, that makes sense to me. My wife and I are both in the restaurant biz and we both offer valet service to our guests. My company outsources valet, while my wife's is in-house. The liability that must be carried if you have valet in-house is ridiculous and that is why many company's outsource. That way the valet company carries the liability and its expense.

That's exactly what I was thinking ... insurance/liability costs would be higher for valet than bell services ... by an order of magnitude I would think ...

 

[ceejay13]

Thanks Sammie,

I had replied to the other poster who said there would be no food. We just returned from 13 nights at the BWV and there were sandwiches offered at Leaping Horse. There wasn't the variety there had been previously but you are right the sandwiches were there. We went to the annual meeting on Wednesday and my DH actually asked Jim about this. He pretty much gave the same answer, that they have all been offered other jobs within the company and we'll still see them around. It is sad for us as we have seen some of the same valet staff since we first purchased in 2000. After a couple of days they learn your name and always call you by name when calling for the car or dropping it off. It certainly makes you feel more at home. We had an absolutely wonderful time and have no complaints, other than the valet issue, whatsoever. We can't wait to go back.

 

[Sammie]

Thanks Sammie,

I had replied to the other poster who said there would be no food. We just returned from 13 nights at the BWV and there were sandwiches offered at Leaping Horse. There wasn't the variety there had been previously but you are right the sandwiches were there. We went to the annual meeting on Wednesday and my DH actually asked Jim about this. He pretty much gave the same answer, that they have all been offered other jobs within the company and we'll still see them around. It is sad for us as we have seen some of the same valet staff since we first purchased in 2000. After a couple of days they learn your name and always call you by name when calling for the car or dropping it off. It certainly makes you feel more at home. We had an absolutely wonderful time and have no complaints, other than the valet issue, whatsoever. We can't wait to go back.

Thanks for sharing, and glad you had good trip. Hopefully the staff you knew will still be there in another job.

 

[PamOKW]

Sammie thanks for looking into "rumors" and getting answers.

As others have said, outsourcing is a way to be sure Disney doesn't become responsible for offering benefits. A part-time employee who ends up with too many hours can become a full time employee entitled to benefits. There is also the possibility of unionization if they saw that Disney was keeping them all part-time to avoid paying benefits. Bottom-line Disney must have seen a cost savings in outsourcing.