When will the contract extension expire for Disney Employees?

[B1GxFOOT]

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/u/unskilled-labor.asp#:~:text=Unskilled%20laborers%20were%20once%20thought,on%20technical%20abilities%20or%20skills.

What Is Unskilled Labor?​

"Unskilled labor" is an outdated term, once used to describe a segment of the workforce associated with a limited skill set or minimal economic value for the work performed. The correct term is low-wage labor.


According to the Center for Global Development the term unskilled and skilled were derived from institutions, politicians, and other interest groups based on the classifications a determination has been made as to who is and is not powerful in the labor market. Also, the idea that the unskilled labor force is characterized by lower educational attainment such as a high school diploma, GED, or lack thereof which typically results in lower wages, is also outdated.1


Once characterized by lower educational attainment, such as a high school diploma, GED, or lack thereof, it was assumed unskilled laborers made less money. However, in the 21st century, there are jobs for high school graduates or those without a college degree.

KEY TAKEAWAYS​

• Unskilled labor is an antiquated term.
• Those in the workforce with limited skills aren't necessarily unskilled.
• It is possible to find a job with a GED or high school diploma.
• Some jobs call for a strict set of skills or degrees, but it is possible to find well-paying work without them.
• Unskilled laborers were once thought of as workers whose daily production tasks did not depend on technical abilities or skills.

Understanding Unskilled Labor​

Again, unskilled labor is an outdated term, but low-wage laborers provide a significant part of the overall labor market, performing daily production tasks that do not depend on technical abilities or skills. Menial or repetitive tasks are typical unskilled labor positions. Jobs that can be fully learned in less than 30 days often fall into the low-wage labor category. Low-wage labor jobs may be held by individuals with less education or experience than others. When this is the case, employers may take advantage of these workers, offering low to minimum wage as pay.


When the term is used to describe a person or employee completing the tasks, low-wage labor refers to the lack of education or experience the person may have. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 although many cities and states have a higher minimum wage for workers.2



Certain semiskilled jobs, such as administrative assistants, can require advanced skill sets that lead them to be categorized as skilled instead of semiskilled positions.

Related Terms​

All jobs from babysitter to biology professor require a skill set. However, some jobs and careers require higher education, special certifications, or a specified number of years of experience. Entry-level positions can be low-wage jobs with rising salaries, as more experience is gained. Some low-wage jobs only pay federal minimum wage, which does not often increase on the job, despite the use of skills and experience of the low-wage worker. Rising skills and pay may depend on the employer and the position.


Jobs that call for semi-skilled or mid-skilled workers, typically require a level of education or knowledge in a particular field, or experience and training in order to complete the job's tasks successfully.


Skilled labor may refer to persons or positions requiring a very specialized skill set or advanced degree in order to complete some of the assigned tasks.

What Is Minimum Wage?​

The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.3

What Does Skilled Labor Mean?​

All jobs take some sort of skill to hold them but skilled labor usually refers to positions which needs a very specific skill set to a obtain such as computer coding or plumbing skills, or a teaching certificate.

How Many States Have Higher Minimum Wages?​

There are 30 states plus Washington D.C., that offer workers a wage above the federal minimum wage.4

The Bottom Line​

The term "low-skilled" worker is an antiquated term, not reflective of the present day. Low-wage workers are not low-skilled workers. Low-wage workers may have plenty of skills, but often the low-wage jobs do not provide a liveable wage.

That article is simply an opinion. I prefer the dictionary's definition "labor that requires relatively little or no training or experience for its satisfactory performance". How can that be an outdated definition? It clearly describes a type of labor and gives neither good nor bad connotation to it. A person's feelings about a word has nothing to do with the facts of the definition. I can be offended by the word Money if I want to be. There are certainly words designed to offend like, let's just keep it PG, "dumb-butt". I think many are a little tired of tip-toeing around words with clearly defined and accepted definitions for the sake of a vocal minority who look for reasons to be offended and use that offense to obfuscate the real issue at hand.

 

[BrianL]

For what it's worth, I never took the term "unskilled labor" to mean that the person doing it is unskilled, but rather that the job doesn't require much skill, or skills that can be learned on the job. Still, it's all semantics, and I don't really see the point of getting fired up about it.

 

[DL1WDW2]

I appreciate and respect that most castmembers can speak and write more than one language.I never assume anything with just a first appearance.
I also appreciate that smile because life is a struggle for everybody.
I just want the negotiation to conclude for all castmembers with respect.

 

[OKW Lover]

Disney and the union have come up with a contract in the past defining what each job will pay depending on the skill level needed to do/apply for that that job. The more skills you bring to the table the more you might make.

Disney and the unions are in a fight. The unions want $18.00 an hour and Disney wants to pay $16.00 an hour.
The unions will give in some and Disney will give in some to come up with a starting pay neither side will be happy with just like they did on past contract negotiations.

These are very good points. Those of us on the outside looking in often do not recognize these constraints/biases. In some areas the Union is committed to its past positions and Disney is too. The existing (now expired) contract is the basis from which both parties have to decide what is worth keeping and what is worth trading.

 

[starlite_]

I appreciate and respect that most castmembers can speak and write more than one language.I never assume anything with just a first appearance.
I also appreciate that smile because life is a struggle for everybody.
I just want the negotiation to conclude for all castmembers with respect.

Languages are so important. I remember very fondly a Santa that spoke to me in Spanish and signed for the kid behind me. It always felt magical when a Princess or character spoke to me without the need for my parents to translate.

 

[Cfabar1]

I did not mean to demean anyone in my comments. I was merely using a term that is widely used to classify employment. The CMs make the experience, which my comments mentioned by the way, and I also mentioned I hope they have a good contract, and am willing to pay more to experience the parks. The last thing I intended to do was undervalue someone, I merely used a commonly used term.

I hope the topic can resume to being about updates on the negotiations, and not descend into a never ending discussion about the implications of “unskilled labor”…

 

[Madteaparty001]

My previous post about why the name change was important was deleted because apparently one of the posts I quoted was deleted. For anyone who missed it feel free to google low skill vs. low wage labor and you'll find plenty of articles.

That article is simply an opinion. I prefer the dictionary's definition "labor that requires relatively little or no training or experience for its satisfactory performance". How can that be an outdated definition? It clearly describes a type of labor and gives neither good nor bad connotation to it. A person's feelings about a word has nothing to do with the facts of the definition. I can be offended by the word Money if I want to be. There are certainly words designed to offend like, let's just keep it PG, "dumb-butt". I think many are a little tired of tip-toeing around words with clearly defined and accepted definitions for the sake of a vocal minority who look for reasons to be offended and use that offense to obfuscate the real issue at hand.

Language evolves and changes, look at the word spinster...
Spinster: As it sounds, spinsters used to be women who spun. It referred to a legal occupation before it came to mean “unmarried woman” — and often not in the most positive ways, as opposed to a bachelor.

So while the definition of "low skill" labor on it's surface has not changed, the way it's used and the meaning it implies has changed towards a slur.

I did not mean to demean anyone in my comments. I was merely using a term that is widely used to classify employment. The CMs make the experience, which my comments mentioned by the way, and I also mentioned I hope they have a good contract, and am willing to pay more to experience the parks. The last thing I intended to do was undervalue someone, I merely used a commonly used term.

I hope the topic can resume to being about updates on the negotiations, and not descend into a never ending discussion about the implications of “unskilled labor”…

And I do not mean to presume you meant harm, I merely was relaying some clarity. My DD is autistic, I do not mind her being called such and use the term myself when describing her, but there are many on the spectrum who prefer the term Neurodivergent. As such, I try to address others with autism, ADD, ADHD, etc. because they may prefer it as they find it has less of an associated negative connotation. This is what is happening with how we as a society are addressing those in the service industry because the pandemic finally gave enough time for us to listen to what they have to say.

As for the spiraling commentary, until there is an update from Disney or the Union there's not much left to say and so the thread remains open ended with those posting filling the silence. I noted many of the discussions were becoming circular so I bowed out until I felt I had something meaningful to add.

 

[rdaky]

These are very good points. Those of us on the outside looking in often do not recognize these constraints/biases. In some areas the Union is committed to its past positions and Disney is too. The existing (now expired) contract is the basis from which both parties have to decide what is worth keeping and what is worth trading.

I think many looking from the outside also do not always realize that this contract is not just about pay. It's about health insurance, vacation, retirement, parental leave, rules about sick days, rules about scheduling, and so many more things. I think the highlight in the media is always about the pay, but there is a lot more involved. And in unions there is always give and take. It will be interesting to see what happens if Disney allows the pay to increase higher than $16. There will certainly be some take on their end as well, and that could be absolutely anything from healthcare to holiday pay.

 

[New Mouse]

While the basic skills themselves may be considered minimal, what Disney expects out of most of these unskilled positions makes them skilled.

 

[OKW Lover]

I really hope this thread can get past the skilled/unskilled debate.

 

[RivShore]

In related news...the free market does what it needs to do without unions or government weighing in. $40k/year for food services, I find it hard to see anyone complaining about that.

Andretti Indoor Karting & Games raises employee hourly pay rate​

New pay increase is one of highest in Central Florida​

https://www.clickorlando.com/news/l...karting-games-raises-hourly-pay-rate-to-1750/

ORLANDO, Fla. – The entertainment facility Andretti Indoor Karting & Games announced on Monday it is increasing its hourly pay rate for employees.

Employees will have their pay rate increased from $16 to $17.50, with those in culinary increased to $19.

The newly-increased pay rate will be one of the highest in Central Florida, according to a news release.

“At Andretti, we are committed to providing our employees with industry-leading wages, benefits and opportunities,” managing member of Andretti Indoor Karting & Games Eddie Hamann said in a news release. “This increased rate will help provide competitive wages for all current and future employees, while also helping to attract the most highly skilled candidates from around the area.”

The attraction facility also offers a variety of benefits for its full-time employees such as health insurance, a 401(k) tax plan and a paid vacation.

Part-time employees also receive discounted prices for family and friends at the attraction site.

For more information, visit the Andretti Indoor Karting & Games website.

 

[IanDLBZF from MCMagic]

Rally for a Raise announced for 3/16.
https://blogmickey.com/2023/03/disn...-as-stalemate-on-wage-negotiations-continues/

 

[OKW Lover]

Rally for a Raise announced for 3/16.
https://blogmickey.com/2023/03/disn...-as-stalemate-on-wage-negotiations-continues/

I saw one news article about this rally. It appeared to be well attended but it's possible that the photos were "staged" as in using specific camera angles to make the group look larger.

There were no reports of disruptions to CM's or the general public in accessing Disney property.

 

[McKelly]

Sounds like they are meeting again today.

 

[HarvardAce]

Looks like they have an agreement:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1639008555343781888

 

[HokieRaven5]

NEW: The union representing Cast Members at Walt Disney World confirm they have reached a tentative agreement with Disney to bring Cast Members to $18/hour by the end of this year. The union will now recommend workers vote to approve the agreement.

The agreement includes retroactive pay and staggered increases that will give all full-time employees an hourly rate of $18/hour by end of year.

Union says all CMs will receive minimum $5.50 increase "over term of agreement."

The vote will happen next Wednesday. If members approve the deal, the hourly increases will go into effect immediately.

Retroactive pay will go back to October 2022.

 

[71 Truck]

NEW: The union representing Cast Members at Walt Disney World confirm they have reached a tentative agreement with Disney to bring Cast Members to $18/hour by the end of this year. The union will now recommend workers vote to approve the agreement.

The agreement includes retroactive pay and staggered increases that will give all full-time employees an hourly rate of $18/hour by end of year.

The union says all Cast Members will receive a minimum $5.50 increase by end of year.
The vote will happen next Wednesday. If members approve the deal, the hourly increases will go into effect immediately.

Retroactive pay will go back to October 2022.

I wonder what each side had to give to make it happen.

 

[HokieRaven5]

More details from union leaders: Every current theme park worker in the union will receive a raise between $5.50 and $8.60 by the end of the contract, with the first $3 coming this year.

All six STCU unions are unanimous in their support of the agreement.

Here is the path to $18/hour:

For workers in jobs that currently earn $15/hour, retroactive pay to October 2022 will be at $16/hour.

The rate will immediately increase to $17/hour when the deal is ratified.

Rate will increase again to $18/hour in December.

More from union:

 

[RivShore]

Those new rates might just make them the employer of choice in the area. Higher than the Andretti rates that I thought were pretty good.

Anyone remember what was Disney's last offer was?

 

[rdaky]

Those new rates might just make them the employer of choice in the area. Higher than the Andretti rates that I thought were pretty good.

Anyone remember what was Disney's last offer was?

Disney's last offer was basically an additional $1 per year, with only a $1 increase per year with no retroactive pay. This sounds like a much better deal on the surface. Hopefully not too much was sacrificed for the pay.