Disney heiress 'livid' after going to one of her family's theme parks undercover

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

So much for the “Happiest Place on Earth.” The heiress to the Disney fortune recently went to one of its theme parks undercover and says the visit made her livid.

Abigail Disney told the Yahoo News show “Through Her Eyes” that a worker sent her a Facebook message expressing how tragic being employed at the Magic Kingdom has become. So she went to Disneyland to see it for herself.

“Every single one of these people I talked to were saying, ‘I don’t know how I can maintain this face of joy and warmth when I have to go home and forage for food in other people’s garbage,’” Disney, 59, told Yahoo News host and human rights activist Zainab Salbi in an interview posted Monday.

Disney is the granddaughter of the late Roy Disney, who co-founded The Walt Disney Co. with his brother, Walt Disney. She does not have an active role in the company. Disney said that her grandfather would not approve of the current working conditions at the parks he helped create.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/disney-heiress-livid-after-going-to-one-of-her-familys-theme-parks-undercover/ar-AAEmIz0?li=BBnb7Kz

[redstatebluegirl]

1. They also treat their interns like dirt.

I sent a couple of young people to them as interns, they both came back with horror stories of being asked to work ridiculous hours, very low pay (you should be happy to be interning at Disney they were told). It is not a happy place.

[mopinko]

36. and internship is the only way in, pretty much.

my niece works there, and it took her an internship and 2 contracts to get a regular position.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

2. Then RAISE their pay and provide Benefits!!!

Why are people spending HUNDREDS of dollars for tickets, paying for China made trinkets, high restaurant prices, so employees can forage for food in other people's garbage cans?


The last time I was at a Disney park was 1977 at Disney World in Orlando.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

4. She does not have an active role in the company.

Last paragraph. Perhaps she owns some stock.

[A HERETIC I AM]

5. She doesn't have any say in that.

She is a major shareholder, but that’s about it, from what I understand.

She isn’t management or on the board.

What she is however, is very vocal about the need to raise taxes on the wealthy in this country and that includes herself, as well as raising wages for workers.

If anything, Ms. Disney is an advocate for those employees.

[Lochloosa]

6. We were there at the same time. Summer of '77. Last time I set foot there.

[qazplm135]

8. she is a heiress but has no direct control

so if she could, she would, but she can't so she does what she can which is be extremely public and vocal and annoying about it.

[LiberalLovinLug]

41. She has the power of embarrassment

And it would be quite difficult to shut her up. I hope she keeps it up

[trev]

24. I grew up 10 miles from the original Disneyland in Anaheim.

In fact, I was born the year it opened.

My best experience there was when a friend, who was a retired Disney ride engineer, got my family in for free. (We entered through the employee gate!) Spent the entire time the park was open, 8am-1am.

That being said, I'm not a fan of amusement parks, and I seldom went to Disneyland. Never been to Orlando. Never been to the California Adventure portion across the street from Anaheim. Went to Paris when it first opened in 1992.

I remember hearing about complaints back in the 80s that the costumes the wandering characters had to wear were too hot and uncomfortable. I believed them.

The pay and treatment by the company is no different than at such places as Amazon. Big corporations are like that. Which is why I don't like them.

With my family grown and my wife divorced, I'll never set foot in Disneyland again. Not as protest; just because it doesn't interest me.

[Aristus]

3. I'm not sure I agree with her assertion that either of the Disney brothers would object to the

current working conditions at the parks.

Walt Disney, at least, was a slave-driver, union-buster, and raging anti-Communist who viewed any form of worker benefit or compensation as anti-capitalist.

[progressoid]

15. Yeah, her view of her Grandfather seems to be clouded by a little pixie dust.

[Javaman]

19. Completely agree. That jumped out at me too...

walt was a well known prick. disney is notorious for being very very anti-union.

I've had friends worked at the park and in the animation division and they both (separately) told me that their bosses aren't called dis-nazi's for nothing.

[Amishman]

39. Her grandfather was Roy, not Walt

Given Roy's quiet nature and avoidance of the spotlight, far harder to guess what he really would have thought.

[softydog88]

40. I heard that, too.

And from a woman who worked there in the 60's. I guess that's why Disneyland is in Orange County.

[democratisphere]

7. Corporate America's contamination destroys everything including

happiness. When the top priority of the Corporate Mission Statement is the shareholders, everyone else always suffers.

[obamanut2012]

9. Her grandfather was notoriously anti union

And worked his people into the ground.

He was also racist, and sexist, and Anti Semitic. I don't think he would care tbh.

Walt was kinda horrible. Entry-level cast members should be paid more and treated better, although I know some fo9lks who have worked in the parks and offices for decades, and they get decent paid and benefits, and most are in unions. This is at WDW.

on edit: Ms. Disney went to Disneyland. The cost of living is quite a bit higher in that area of CA than in the Orlando area. Again, all of them should be paid more, but there is probably a bit less financial pressure on the folks who work at WDW.

[jberryhill]

11. Yep

She's delusional if she thinks Walt Disney would give a shit about labor conditions.

[obamanut2012]

26. I laud her using her name to help change things, but --

Using Walt as as an example? Oh boy.

[mr_lebowski]

30. Her grandfather is Roy not Walt ...

No idea if he was 'any better', but just sayin'.

I know you like accuracy

[jberryhill]

32. Both of them were atrocious

Which is why I referred to Walt to echo the similar sentiment about Roy.

[Wellstone ruled]

10. Here is the real kicker.

Disney out sourced their Hospitality part of the Business to Aramark several years ago to avoid a worker organizational drive by the Teamsters and other craft unions. Somewhat fimiliar as to how the outsource contract plays. Aramark takes 10% minimum off the Gross Receipts for their Corporate Operational Costs. the balance is used to pay salaries and expenses. As usual,their operating units are top heavy as far as Pay Scale. And it is up to the individual Managers to do what we called "cutting a gross",and if you don't,see you sucker.

[SWBTATTReg]

12. This behavior of not paying decent wages by corporate America has spread across to many ...

different corporations...all due to the God of profits. This is not the America we all used to know. That's fine (of course not really in my book).

As workers retire in more and more numbers and the numbers of replacement workers continue to fall (population growth is not keeping up), these kinds of corporations will suffer as they so well deserve, as they finally realize that they can't keep treating workers as disposable.

[Hekate]

13. As a stockholder she has a voice, even if not on the Board. And the bame is worth a lot. Sing out!

[AllyCat]

14. Can't stand that place.

Overpriced “happyness” (sic).

[yaesu]

16. never have and will never go to any Disney property. nt

[Victor_c3]

17. It's the fault of the corporatization of Disney

The easiest way to increase profits for shareholders and CEOs is by cutting wages and benefits. Corporations, as a whole, gotta go.

[mainstreetonce]

18. I once went to Disneyworld with a handicapped friend.

For a person unable to get out of a wheelchair,I give Disney an F- rating.
This heiress should go undercover and check that out.

[Auggie]

20. Why all the negativity? This Disney is giving Disney Corporate a black eye.

It’s not her fault Walt was anti-union.

She’s trying to change things for the better

[Liberty Belle]

21. All this and the admission is jacked up so high most families can't afford to go.

A one day ticket starts at $179 for anyone age 10 and up. There are some discounts around but still that is priced far out of what most families can afford.

When I was a kid admission was cheap and affordable.

Here are the rates through the years: https://www.jansworld.net/dl-tickets-1955-2000.html

In 1955 when Disneyland opened, admission was $1 for adults and 50 cents for children, plus ticket books that were around $2.50.

Even when I graduated high school 20 years later, in 1975, admisison was still only $6 a person for adults plus a book of 13 ride tickets was $6.75 -- easily affordable even to me as a minimum wage part-time worker paying my own way with friends.

It's just pure greed to gouge visitors and scrimp on pay for workers.

[58Sunliner]

25. They should have to pay real wages for real work.

Otherwise it incentivizes them to offer part-time only, no benefits. Maybe look at their work force.
https://economicrt.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/ERt-Disneyland-final-2-20-2018.pdf

Most Disneyland workers are mature adults and the job is their career
and their livelihood.
 59%% of workers are 30 to 54 years old and 18% are 55 and older.
 The job at Disneyland is the primary source of income for 91% of
workers, but full-time employment is provided to only 54% of workers.
 The average hourly wage for Disneyland Resort workers in real dollars
dropped 15% from 2000 to 2017, from $15.80 to $13.36.
 Almost three-quarters (73%) say that they do not earn enough money to
cover basic expenses every month.
Disneyland employees worry about keeping a roof over their heads.
 Over half (56%) of Disneyland Resort employees report concerns about
being evicted from their homes or apartments.
 More than one out of ten (11%) Disneyland Resort employees –
including 13% of employees with young children – report having been
homeless – or not having a place of their own place to sleep – in the past
two years.
 Over half (52%) of workers who rent their housing are overcrowded -
squeezing too many family members, roommates or even multiple
families into a unit that is too small to accommodate the number of
occupants.
Many Disneyland workers do not have reliable access to a sufficient
quantity of affordable, nutritious food.
 More than two-thirds (68%) of Disneyland Resort workers are food
insecure.
 Three-quarters (76%) of Disneyland Resort employees with children under 18 are food insecure.

[Maeve]

31. Thank you for the research!

I knew some of this because my daughters live and work in Orlando (no longer for the mouse) and they have experienced the "magic" first-hand.

[58Sunliner]

42. they have experienced the "magic" first-hand.

Ouch. She has my deepest sympathy.

[Maeve]

28. Both my daughters have worked there. You are wrong

There are many Disney workers on the grounds who are career, not temps. It is not nearly as easy to get a job there as you might think and doing things "the Disney way" does require training. (For instance--you never point to something with one finger; that's rude. The Disney point is a two-finger or whole hand point). And the parks are all year long...the "off" season is roughly mid January thru March, with another brief down time in September.

[lunasun]

34. Why would you make all those assumptions ? Links?

[Merlot]

35. Why should temps be paid less for the same work?

Temps also usually pay their own health insurance and all expenses. If anything, temps should be paid more because they walk into a situation ready to work at a moments notice without training or investment from the company placing them.

As a former temp, i can tell you that I did more work than the employees most of the time. Employees were usually to busy going to meeting and "networking" to get any actual work done which is why companies brought in temps. Temps do the work, and get grief from the employees.

[JCMach1]

23. Disney job churned my uncle who was the head biologist in charge of water quality at

Walt Disney World in Florida (Reedy Creek Environmental Distrct).

The kind of place where if you have climbed the ladder, have worked hard to get a good salary when you reach 50+ they will cut you dead.

Fuck the mouse!

[58Sunliner]

27. It wasn't a secret that it's a crappy place. to work.

https://economicrt.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/ERt-Disneyland-final-2-20-2018.pdf

[TDale313]

33. She is not wrong about people needing a living wage

But in California we desperately need to address the cost of housing. Even making a decent, “middle-class” wage, it’s hard to find a home or apartment here that won’t gobble up most of your income.

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

37. Disney always creeped me out-and it still does

I always found this look inside particularly skin crawling.

[PatrickforO]

38. Great post. I can use this as a source for something I'm writing.

Thank you!