Standards for Employee discipline and performance at Disneyland gets lower and lower.

[Lighthope]

Unfortunately, higher ticket prices are not passed on to the Cast Members. Management sees CMs as liabilities rather than assets, and thus are not worthy of investment.

I have long stopped recommending Disneyland as a good place to work. Sorry, that's the truth. We do our best to keep the Walt Disney magic alive for the guests, but that magic is long gone for us.

[D3COY]

I visit the parks quite often, and I have to say, most of the CM's I have talked to or observed seem happy, and respectful. Yes there are those who are grouchy and may not put their full effort into the job, but there are a lot of good employees who genuinely enjoy being there and at the same time do a good job

[mainejeff]

Pay peanuts, get .

Bingo.

That and it's "all about me" these days...........

[clippers6]

A few years after I left Disneyland I worked at a Blockbuster. One night a couple of CMs came in to rent a movie (they were still in costume). We got to talking and they mentioned how many benefits had been slashed compared to when I was a CM. The sad thing was, as a part time Blockbuster employee, I had medical and dental.

[Global]

sort of a strange paradox. Disney has substantially lowered the various requirements and standards to get a job there. Those decisions expanded their potential labor pool. Then Disney made the decision to pay barely above Knott's, and to cap said pay so as to encourage a higher turnover. .

DLR pays anywhere from 13% more (attractions, stores, custodial for example) to 37.5% more (lifeguard) than Knott's.

Global

[patton45]

Maybe it was the USC students working there.... (sorry, I'm a Cal fan)

[Global]

I should stress that starting pay, while always important, does little for retention. Each Year you get a Union raise and a Cost of Living Adjustment. Once you hit the "top rate" all you get is Cost of Living each year. Someone who "starts" at $8 an hour will take X amount of time to hit the top rate of $10 an hour. Someone starting at $9 an hour simply makes that top rate that much faster.

For example I started in 98, making $7 an hour. I left in 06, my time was bridged due to military service... I made $11.50 an hour. So over 8 years of service I made a whopping extra $4 an hour. That's why they can't retain people.

Each department has their own top rate per the contract. So the $10 isn't everywhere within the berm.

How much should the average Cast Member make? How long should the average Cast Member work there? Should that Jungle Cruise skipper make $15 per hour? $20 per hour? With full benefits? I'm honestly just wondering.

I think everyone would always like to make more money. The Cast Members of DLR are in better shape than most unskilled workers in this country as the majority of them have some big unions as their representative during contract negotiations.

The Master Services contract is up this March. It will be interesting to see what the Cast asks for and what the Company offers.

Global

[CMinParadise]

How much should the average Cast Member make?

That depends on the standards they're held to, and how many people in the labor pool are willing and able to meet those standards. With the current standards, the pay is pretty fair. The problem is the standards themselves

[techskip]

How much should the average Cast Member make? How long should the average Cast Member work there? Should that Jungle Cruise skipper make $15 per hour? $20 per hour? With full benefits? I'm honestly just wondering.

How much should the Company pocket from the admission? $75 a ticket? $100 a ticket? Things weren't always this way. This change was specific to 84.

I think everyone would always like to make more money. The Cast Members of DLR are in better shape than most unskilled workers in this country as the majority of them have some big unions as their representative during contract negotiations.

The Master Services contract is up this March. It will be interesting to see what the Cast asks for and what the Company offers.

Global

The respective Unions at Disney are a joke. The strength of any Union is in it's rank and file. If the rank and file lack the seniority or desire to strike then any threat is moot. As I've discussed earlier the majority of those at the park now are low seniority. They have very little to gain from a strike, and quite a bit to lose. The Union has no hope of actually maintaining a line. They know this, Disney knows this, so any contract will be heavily in Disney's favor as all have been since 84.

As to the pay comparison to Knott's, how much of that Disney pay is held back for benefits? How does Disney pay compare to Starbucks? How about Mc Donalds? What about WinCo? or toss in In n Out? All are fairly unskilled positions. The only difference is how much of the profit is shared with the workers.

[Global]

How much should the Company pocket from the admission? $75 a ticket? $100 a ticket? Things weren't always this way. This change was specific to 84.

The respective Unions at Disney are a joke. The strength of any Union is in it's rank and file. If the rank and file lack the seniority or desire to strike then any threat is moot. As I've discussed earlier the majority of those at the park now are low seniority. They have very little to gain from a strike, and quite a bit to lose. The Union has no hope of actually maintaining a line. They know this, Disney knows this, so any contract will be heavily in Disney's favor as all have been since 84.

As to the pay comparison to Knott's, how much of that Disney pay is held back for benefits? How does Disney pay compare to Starbucks? How about Mc Donalds? What about WinCo? or toss in In n Out? All are fairly unskilled positions. The only difference is how much of the profit is shared with the workers.

You are right. Things weren't always this way. Cast Members used to make a lot less. 25 years ago, a Cast Member would start under $4.50 an hour.

I wonder how your former westside shop stewards (like Mike W. or Bob S.) would feel about you calling them a joke?

McD's starts at $8.00 and if you are good, you might get a nickel raise a year.
Looks like Sbux starts at $9.22 plus tips.
Winco starts at $8.85.

As for how much benefits cost a DLR Cast Member, that all depends on what they individually select.

Now can you answer my original questions? I'm honestly curious.

Global

[Goofy Daddy]

You are right. Things weren't always this way. Cast Members used to make a lot less. 25 years ago, a Cast Member would start under $4.50 an hour.

25 years ago gas cost under a dollar a gallon and I could buy a house for what most cars now cost so this retort is meaningless. The career level job I work now paid not even half what it does now 25 years ago. It's called adjustment for cost of living. It does not mean that because it is higher now that the current rate is fair or what can be called a living wage.

[Global]

25 years ago gas cost under a dollar a gallon and I could buy a house for what most cars now cost so this retort is meaningless. The career level job I work now paid not even half what it does now 25 years ago. It's called adjustment for cost of living. It does not mean that because it is higher now that the current rate is fair or what can be called a living wage.

So what should a Cast Member make?

Global

[Bob Weaver]

Sorry if this has been answered already. Do the cast members have a union?

[animagusurreal]

If there is still work to be done and you are standing around talking instead of doing it, even for 10 seconds that is 10 seconds of company time you are using. Workers aren't robots, they are workers. They get breaks where they can talk it up all they want.

Stepmother and Stepsisters: CINDERELLA!

Mice: Cinderelly, Cinderelly, night and day, it's Cinderelly!

Cinderella: This letter just arrived from the palace, Stepmother...

Stepmother: There's to be a ball, in honor of his highness, the prince...and by royal command, every eligible maid must attend!

Cinderella: Then that means I can go, too!

Mice: Wait-a-minute! Cinderelly talk about royal ball during work-a-time?! She shoulda waited 'til break-a-time to talk about personal life! Cinderelly not nice - she mean, bad criminal, stealing from poor old stepmother! We mice no like Cinderelly no more!






Seriously, though...someone mentioned CMs on ToT talking, and that's a little different, since they have a specific role to play. I know all Cast Members are..."Cast Members", but "bellhop at haunted Hollywood hotel" is always going to be more specific than "sales associate". Still, I would make allowances. The anachronistic CGI in the intro video will always distract me way more from the show than any CMs talking. (BTW, I've always had CMs who put a lot of effort into the show on that attraction).

[Global]

Sorry if this has been answered already. Do the cast members have a union?

Most are. There are 31 different Unions that represent the Cast of DLR.

Notable exceptions include Guest Relations, Guest Research, and Photopass

Global