Cast Members – Page 3 – A Walk With The Mouse

Disney World Cast Members Win Following Stalled, Failed Negotiations

Posted on March 24, 2023March 24, 2023 by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

The union representing thousands of Disney World Cast Members announced a big win for full-time and part-time Cast Members at the Central Florida parks during a press conference on Thursday afternoon.

Just after 5:00 p.m. local time, during an “abruptly scheduled” press conference on Thursday afternoon at the Wyndham Orlando Resort and Conference Center, following negotiations that took place between unions and Disney World. The press conference opened with the announcement negotiations have been taking place for 210 days and that it’s been 535 days since Disney workers last received pay increases, but that a “huge development” had taken place during Thursday morning’s negotiations.

During rounds of failed negotiations, the top priorities among Disney workers have been to receive a minimum wage of $18 per hour and to be guaranteed full retroactive pay back to October 2022, when the previous contract expired. But so far, Disney has only offered a minimum wage of $17 per hour and only partial retroactive pay.

During negotiations on Thursday morning, however, Disney World and Cast Member unions finally came to an agreement–with Disney agreeing to the unions’ demands and agreeing to an $18 per hour minimum wage and full retroactive pay all the way back to the expiration of the previous contract.

The press conference was broadcast via Facebook Live, during which Cast Members commented on the social media platform. Though Disney has agreed to contract terms put forth by union leaders, some Cast Members were still unhappy with the outcome. Many, however, were thankful for the agreement and praised the work of union leaders and Cast Members in keeping a united front about what they demanded from the new contract.

Disney Character Assaulted, Guest Removed From Park

Posted on March 10, 2023March 10, 2023 by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Pluto, Goofy, your favorite Disney princesses, Pixar pals, and many more are spotted in the Disney Parks.

Disney Character meet and greets are supposed to be fun, exciting, and an upclose encounter with our favorite characters.

Home to four immersive theme parks, Walt Disney World Resort Guests can enjoy the magic of Magic Kingdom, the culture of EPCOT, the stars of Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and the nature of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Disney World also has two water parks, Typhoon Lagoon, and Blizzard Beach. Seeing thousands of Disney World Guests every day, this traffic can lead to all kinds of interactions.

Former Cast Members tend to talk about their years at Disney, meaning the good, bad, and the ugly. Disney World Cast Members do their best to keep Disney clean, safe, and exciting for Guests to enjoy. Recently, a former Cast Member shared a story where they were shocked to see assault come forward in a disturbing fashion.

The Cast Member shared that the Disney Character was assaulted and the Guest was forced to be removed from the Disney Park. In this Reddit Thread, we can see the story unfold.

“I was one of the performers for Nick Wilde from Zootopia a few years ago, And if you’re not aware; a large number of people in the furry community find him highly attractive.

You can just imagine the number of people in that community who flirted with me and/or Judy and whispered some pretty sexual things to us. I think I also had a guy grab Nick’s tie like in that flirty way, we had to get him escorted out of the park.

The moral of the story is: don’t be inappropriate with the characters, we are real people underneath and the are legitimate consequences for that kind of behavior.”

Guests from time to time may need reminding that inappropriate behavior toward Characters or Cast Members while inside Disney Parks can cause them to be removed from the Park, or even banned from Walt Disney World Resort depending on the severity of the instance.

Union Cast Members Respond to Disney’s Offer

Posted on February 8, 2023February 8, 2023 by Mathew Corn Disney Dining, Disney Parks, Disney Resorts, Uncategorized

Disney and the Union that represents most Cast Members (STCU) have been at odds since last October. The Union argues that Cast Members deserve $20 per hour. Disney has said “ok, but not yet” and offered a raise of $1 per hour each year until they get to $20 per hour. The Union, which represents more than 32,000 Cast Members, has expressed its displeasure in the offer but the final decision ultimately rested in the hands of the Cast Members they represent.

It seems as though they spoken. In a recent vote, Disney Cast Members have overwhelmingly (96%) rejected Disney’s latest offer. Matt Hollis, president of the Service Trades Council Union, said “Disney can do better and must do better.” Currently starting pay for Disney workers is $15 per hour, $4 above Florida’s minimum wage.

Disney responded to the vote in question statement saying, “it was a strong offer that would provide more than 30,000 employees a nearly 10 percent on average raise immediately, as well as retroactive increased pay in their paychecks, and we are disappointed that those increases will now be delayed.” Disney made an operating profit of $12 billion dollars last year.

The Unions argue Disney should have offered a $3 per hour increase, raising most wages to $18 per hour with a $1 per hour increase annually over the next two years. The STCU has already successfully negotiated this same deal for employees at the Orange County Convention Center.

Negotiations between Disney and the Union will resume again soon. Until then, many have worried that the Cast Members could decide to strike in order to force Disney’s hand. This is unlikely. Since the Union contract expired in October, the contract between the Union and Walt Disney World has been month to month with specific clauses that prevent striking. To do so would be breach of contract and possibly result in job loss and stall negotiations.

The Union could decide not to renew their month to month agreement in order to strike but this is also unlikely. Even if they did do this, members of the union (Disney Cast Members) would still need to vote to approve a strike. It seems unlikely many Cast Members would vote for a move that meant they’d go without pay for an extended period of time. It is possible though that a strike could happen. This would be catastrophic for Disney’s operations since the Union members encompass ride operators, costumed performers, housekeepers, restaurant and shop employees, bus drivers, as well as custodians.

Stay tuned. This is an ongoing story and we will be sure to bring you updates as they happen. We expect negotiations to resume within the month.

Iger Reveals Surprising New Policy for Cast Members

Posted on January 13, 2023January 13, 2023 by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Uncategorized

In a new email to Disney Cast Members, Iger is continuing the company’s reorganization.

The Walt Disney Company CEO, Robert Iger arrives for the World premiere of Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Endgame” at the Los Angeles Convention Center on April 22, 2019 in Los Angeles. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP) (Photo credit should read VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)

The recently returned Disney CEO Bob Iger took the helm a couple of months ago, with quick shakeups in the company, particularly in the Media & Entertainment Distribution division, which is responsible for Disney+. Disney Executives, including Chapek’s right-hand man, Kareem Daniel, and Arthur Bochner, Chapek’s Chief of Staff and Speech Writer, have left the company.

Bob Iger has diagnosed The Walt Disney Company’s downfall as it was “losing its soul.” Iger himself has said the Disney Parks are too expensive and knows that change needs to be made.

Now, Iger continues on his journey to bring back the magic for the stock dipping company. According to a report, Bob Iger shared the importance of in-person collaboration in an email sent to hybrid Cast Members on Monday, January 9, 2023. The email states:

“As I’ve been meeting with teams throughout the company over the past few months, I’ve been reminded of the tremendous value in being together with the people you work with,” Iger wrote. “As you’ve heard me say many times, creativity is the heart and soul of who we are and what we do at Disney. And in a creative business like ours, nothing can replace the ability to connect, observe, and create with peers that comes from being physically together, nor the opportunity to grow professionally by learning from leaders and mentors.”

The report goes on to note that starting the week of March 1, 2023, hybrid employees must return to corporate offices four days a week.

Hybrid employees, or work-from-home staff, increased among companies around the globe in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic spread. Now, years later, Iger is bringing Disney employees back to the office with this new policy.

While this decision will likely have mixed emotions from Disney’s current hybrid Cast Members, Disney isn’t the only one making this shift in policy. We’ve seen other large companies, such as Twitter and Apple, mandate their employees to return to in-house office time.

Child Left By Parents in Disney Park

Posted on November 2, 2022November 2, 2022 by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

A child was left by their parents at Disneyland Resort recently, prompting Disney Cast Members to be involved.

Disneyland Resort is known as “The Happiest Place On Earth” and is one of the most popular destinations in the country for families to visit. Both Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure are full of beloved attractions and experiences, like Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain, the all-new Avengers Campus, Radiator Springs Racers, and The Incredicoaster, to just name a few.

These are all perfect attractions to experience with your family.

Recently, a video gained a lot of reactions on TikTok after it surfaced showing a child being left by their parents near the women’s restroom in Disneyland.

@marshmelow_cakez
How can you just leave your kid like that, kid left alone at Disneyland by the woman’s bathroom. #smh #leftoutsidealone #disneyland #unsupervised #parentswhoshouldnthavehadkids #badparenting #childneglect #caugthoncamera #whatwouldyoudo #childendangerment #childsafety #awerness
♬ Oh No – Kreepa

The user shared in another video that they waited with the child until the mother came to get them and then notified Disney Cast Members.

“I waited for the mom to get there so I can leave. The worst part is there was two of them with him and they both decided to get in there together. I didn’t make a scene but I did tell a member after she came out.”

While Disney Cast Members work to ensure that every Disney Park is safe for Guests, there are rules in place to ensure that children, in particular, are taken care of.

According to the official Disney website, Guests 14 years old or younger must be accompanied by an adult when visiting Disney theme parks. While your child can ride many attractions solo while in the theme parks, you will need to accompany them during their Park stay.