Disney Dirty Pool

[dlavender]

Only to those sympathetic to unions. Others are like, 15 bucks to watch folks at fast pass entrances, for real yo?

The part that is "shady" is the big PR announcement by Disney, "look at us, we are giving a $1000 bonus too, just like Uni and everyone else", then behind scenes saying, "ok, remember that bonus thing, here's the real deal...."

 

[Bob Dolewhip]

Isn’t the bonus taxable income anyway? What’s the point? If I were in the union I’d still be fighting for a better wage I could depend on rather than a one time bonus.
My company gave us a special bonus but we only came home with half of that money after taxes.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

1) Other companies are giving bonuses due to Trump Tax Break, regardless of upcoming employee raises.
2) ONLY DISNEY is putting terms/conditions top the money.

Disney is the one making the news about it. And they may be the largest company to do it.

But there are other companies that gave bonuses but are holding back raises.

 

[SteveH]

Its how unions negotiate. Disney isn't going to come out an put an * on the announcement, there are always annotations on any announcement. If you are in the mix of union negotiations then of course this is going to be a factor, its how any business deals with a union. A couple years back we gave our staff team a bonus (non-union shop) had several employees come back and complain, yes complain, because we took taxes out. They were upset that we had said we were giving say $1000 but they didn't get that much. Ugh!

Consider if they get their $15/hour... you think Disney is expensive now? Bahahahaha

 

[TheGecko]

Isn’t the bonus taxable income anyway? What’s the point? If I were in the union I’d still be fighting for a better wage I could depend on rather than a one time bonus.
My company gave us a special bonus but we only came home with half of that money after taxes.

If you paid more in taxes on a bonus payment you would still get them back at tax time if they took out more than your marginal rate. If you are paying taxes it means you are making money, and a free bonus is nothing to ever sneeze at.

Disney should not be holding this bonus over the employee's heads. In the grand scheme of things the bad press and future ill will is not worth it to hold a 1000 a head hostage, especially when it is being paid for and then some from new tax rates and repatriation of overseas profits at lower rates.

 

[disneynurse03]

And here I thought this was gonna be about DCL and little kids in the pool area... :whistle:

I thought I was the only one..lol

 

[Jim Shuler]

1) Disney announced a $1,000 bonus to all employees as a result of Trump Tax Bill.
2) Now, Disney wants to hold the bonus unless the union signs a new contract at WDW proposal.
3) Kind of dirty-pool, Ogre (I mean Iger).

Iger hated the tax cuts and the raises Disney was able to give because then he would have to give Trump some credit. Disney Parks are making a huge profit and Iger doesn't want to reward the workers-shameful.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Iger hated the tax cuts

Don't you mean "Ogre"?

 

[RobertUpland]

This is what happens when a shady company fights a shady union.

When the bonus was announced there were no stipulations to it. Which to me means it is a separate thing from wage negotiations. Thats why Disney is shady.

The union scammed the vote on the wage proposal so they could get that 93% no vote. They were literally telling us how to vote and when we voted yes or wouldnt tell them how we voted they scoffed at us and tried to pressure us into voting no. Thats why the union is shady.

I know several people who are filing a grievance against the union for the shady tactics they used for that vote.

 

[LNMom]

Unhappy CMs=unhappy visitors
Happy CMs=happy visitors

Disney: Pay the $15./hour. You can't provide an exceptional experience to guests without a committed workforce.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Disney: Pay the $15./hour. You can't provide an exceptional experience to guests without a committed workforce.

From your voice to Ogre's ears. (Oops, Iger's ears.)

 

[hertamaniac]

Disney is starting to give out the bonuses.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/disney-starts-to-disperse-bonuses.3667606/

 

[dlavender]

Disney is starting to give out the bonuses.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/disney-starts-to-disperse-bonuses.3667606/

We did it!!!!!

ETA: Welp, no we didn't.. Looks like the union peeps are still having it dangled in their faces

 

[DisFanDad]

1) Other companies are giving bonuses due to Trump Tax Break, regardless of upcoming employee raises.
2) ONLY DISNEY is putting terms/conditions top the money.

True and not true.

A lot of the companies (such as walmart) that announced "bonuses" "due" to the Trump Tax cut, aren't actually giving the bonus they said they were to all employees. In many of these cases there are qualifies, like you need to have worked X number of hours last year, or have worked with the business for 5, 10, + years to get the full bonus etc.

This is a political stunt by these corporations to try to prove that tax cuts "work" and help the average person. A piddly (to the companies) $1000 one time bonus while they get millions upon millions added to their profits. And then they thought: "Hey, why even give $1000, we can announce $1000 and then add qualifiers on it so we don't even have to pay out that piddly amount".

Still dirty by disney, of course, but it fits the general pattern of these "bonuses".

 

[Geoff_M]

This is a political stunt by these corporations to try to prove that tax cuts "work" and help the average person. A piddly (to the companies) $1000 one time bonus while they get millions upon millions added to their profits. And then they thought: "Hey, why even give $1000, we can announce $1000 and then add qualifiers on it so we don't even have to pay out that piddly amount".

Hey, I already got my $1,000 bonus and even if it's a "stunt", I'll gladly take it... along with any other "stunts" my company wants to hand out in the future!

Additionally, I expected that my paycheck would only go up around $800 once the taxes for the bonus were taken out, but my paycheck actually went up over $1,000 because of the new withholding tables that have been adjusted for the recent personal income tax cuts.. and that's for EVERY paycheck going forward. That's by no means a "stunt".

 

[TheRustyScupper]

It's called negotiating. Nothing says they cannot do it.

1) Actually, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) says this is wrong.
2) You cannot use pay inducements in this manner (as coercion or threat) while in negotiations.
3) I know!
4) I lost an unfair-labor-practices charge in an NLRB Administrative Hearing case when we did (almost) the same thing.
5) But, in our case, it was inadvertent
. . . we verbally announced to employees in plant-wide meetings an upcoming pay increase, but simply didn't post it until 2-weeks later

. . . we had gotten a new-huge contract and were rewarding the employees for quality work that helped get the new work​

. . . we did not withhold the raise or threaten to hold it back or put any conditions upon the increase
. . . it was just a case of bad timing
. . . the judgment against us (and me) said we were trying to "influence" and/or "entice" employees
. . . with WDW, they are actually threatening to withhold publically announced cash unless the union settles

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Isn’t the bonus taxable income anyway? What’s the point?

1) Yes, the bucks are taxable.
2) They are considered as "earned income" and taxed at the employee's IRS tax rate.

 

[OKW Lover]

Isn’t the bonus taxable income anyway? What’s the point? If I were in the union I’d still be fighting for a better wage I could depend on rather than a one time bonus.
My company gave us a special bonus but we only came home with half of that money after taxes.

Not sure what the issue is here. Yes, the bonus is taxable. So is a higher wage.

 

[Nancyg56]

Unhappy CMs=unhappy visitors
Happy CMs=happy visitors

Disney: Pay the $15./hour. You can't provide an exceptional experience to guests without a committed workforce.

I am not going to chime in on the hourly rate CM's are asking for, however I do agree that something needs to be done in regards to CM working conditions. I think that teh CM's have a ridiculously difficult job due to a combination of unrealistic expectations of many guests, the expense of a WDW vacation that seems to spill over into guest expectations, and cutbacks in staffing...which impacts guest experiences. Those CM's cannot win, and I feel that paying minimum wage or not much above is not the way to keep them happy.

I work in a small office and my employer just opened his own firm 4 years ago. The expense was considerable, so while he pays us a very fair rate, he feels badly that he cannot offer more money yet. He does make sure we are all happy though, and he goes out of his way to be sure our conditions are comfortable and that we are all not overwhelmed. My role is payroll for the businesses who choose to add this to our services, and I can tell you that for many of these small companies, how they keep their employees happy directly impacts their turnover and related expenses. The management style of the businesses makes a huge difference overall. It is not my place to give an opinion to these companies, so I do not, but after 4 years there interacting with my clients, I know which employers have commited to making sure that their employees know how much they are valued. It is not all about hourly rates, but also work load, respect, and working conditions.

 

[Bob Dolewhip]

Not sure what the issue is here. Yes, the bonus is taxable. So is a higher wage.

The issue here is that the average worker isn’t going to get $1000 free money. Maybe 600, and to be expected to accept that as a one time “gift” in place of a better wage sounds like a stunt to me too.
A small one time bonus is nothing compared to a wage you can depend on. It’s a drop in the bucket for the company and it shouldn’t be used as a bargaining chip.