Disney heiress says skip theme park visits to help worker rights
Abigail Disney, a longtime critic of her family's business, is taking her fight to Disney's turf: The big screen.
The activist granddaughter of Disney co-founder Roy Disney (Walt's brother) has made a movie lambasting the way the $Disney(DIS.US$ treats its theme park employees.
The activist granddaughter of Disney co-founder Roy Disney (Walt's brother) has made a movie lambasting the way the $Disney(DIS.US$ treats its theme park employees.
Abigail Disney co-directed "The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales" with Kathleen Hughes, and Disney's brother Tim Disney is listed as an executive producer. Their sister, Susan Disney Lord, also helped produce the film, the New York Times reported. The film is set to debut Monday night at the Sundance Film Festival.
Disney and her siblings have not yet found a distributor for the movie, but the Times reported they are hopeful the Sundance debut will help it attract a streamer, such as $Netflix(NFLX.US$ or $Amazon(AMZN.US$, to pick it up.
Disney hiked its pay for most cast members to $15 an hour at Florida's Disney World in 2018, and it recently began paying cast members $17 in California's Disneyland theme park -- with a raise to $18 by 2023. The company also noted in a statement out Monday that it offers many benefits to help staff advance in their careers.
Disney and her siblings have not yet found a distributor for the movie, but the Times reported they are hopeful the Sundance debut will help it attract a streamer, such as $Netflix(NFLX.US$ or $Amazon(AMZN.US$, to pick it up.
Disney hiked its pay for most cast members to $15 an hour at Florida's Disney World in 2018, and it recently began paying cast members $17 in California's Disneyland theme park -- with a raise to $18 by 2023. The company also noted in a statement out Monday that it offers many benefits to help staff advance in their careers.
Disney has been highly critical of the company, calling the board "insane" for giving CEO Bob Iger a $66 million package in 2018 --1,424 times that of the median salary of a Disney employee.
The New York Times, which viewed the film, said Disney and her sister agree in the movie that their grandfather would never have accepted huge multimillion-dollar paydays if he had known people working for him were unable to afford food.
Abigail Disney has repeatedly taken her fight against the company to the press. After the company furloughed thousands of its lowest-paid workers during Covid, Disney tweeted, "WHAT THE ACTUAL F***?????" noting the company had just paid executives millions of dollars.
The New York Times, which viewed the film, said Disney and her sister agree in the movie that their grandfather would never have accepted huge multimillion-dollar paydays if he had known people working for him were unable to afford food.
Abigail Disney has repeatedly taken her fight against the company to the press. After the company furloughed thousands of its lowest-paid workers during Covid, Disney tweeted, "WHAT THE ACTUAL F***?????" noting the company had just paid executives millions of dollars.
And when it brought theme park workers back, she accused the company of doing too little to protect their health. She has supported Senator Elizabeth Warren's efforts to rein in Disney. And when she went to Disneyland to see first-hand how workers were treated, the company lashed out, calling her venture a "stunt." Disney said she hopes the film can help bring about change.
"We want to make sure policy and social norms change in a positive direction," Disney said in her promotional video. "I'm hoping it's not just personal but a story you can relate to."
$Disney(DIS.US$ $Netflix(NFLX.US$ $Amazon(AMZN.US$
Source: CNN Business
"We want to make sure policy and social norms change in a positive direction," Disney said in her promotional video. "I'm hoping it's not just personal but a story you can relate to."
$Disney(DIS.US$ $Netflix(NFLX.US$ $Amazon(AMZN.US$
Source: CNN Business
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Revelation 6 : Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. I’m sure the fortune that was given to her has its own skeletons to deal with and maybe it help her feel better about the guilt she feels but she also has to walk that fine line between being helpful and helpful to the point of destructive. When this is all she will still be able to pay all of her bills and eat but she could get things started with the employees that might cost them their jobs. Possibly in large numbers. It’s seems to me that she doesn’t have any control or say in the company and just by her name she could very easily misrepresent her authority and power within the company leading employees astray. She needs to be careful not to lead these lambs away to slaughter for her own personal gain or argument with the company. I’m sure she could have found a more discreet way of doing the same thing. Demanding things will normally get you shown to the door, empty handed. Just saying.
Mcsnacks H Tupack Revelation 6: She’s a nutjob and a hypocrite. Attention starved is all it is. Wacko!
Shortie : it makes you wonder if she has worked a day in her life for all of her benefits or were they passed down. I'm not saying she's wrong it kinda sucks they make billions while workers can barely pay bills, with that said is there a way you can move up to those positions in the company with degrees?
71269572 : Unjust species
Jules66 Shortie: Oh I’m sure you could but these people probably are unskilled workers otherwise they would probably be looking for something that fits their education and skill level. I work in a busy ER. I started in 2016 at 10.90 an hour. I have 2 degrees. I’m a AEMT and phlebotomist. I agreed to that rate because I thought the raises would be more yearly. I was wrong. I am finally at 16.57 hr. I have benefits and PTO and I love my job. 15 minutes from my house. So currently I’m not looking. Plus I’m 55 and a cancer survivor from 2018. My employer has been good to me. Not perfect but I’m happy for the time being. If I want more pay or otherwise I’ll need to do something different.
Those jobs at Disney aren’t high skill level jobs. Probably can get one without any education. CEO though with that rate of pay seems excessive. But no work no pay that’s pretty much the way it is everywhere.
Jules66 : My degrees are Associate in Applied Science and Criminal Justice.
Revelation 6 Shortie: She could have found a better way to do it without shaming the family name. Pissing off the executives and your relatives is going going to make it harder to get what you want done. Telling people not to come to the park just cuts the throats of the employees paychecks. People on top get paid the same.
Revelation 6 Jules66: Yes, these are entry level jobs.
Dons hobby : She has had a silver spoon stuck up her ass all her life and has no idea how the real world.works because she has never EVER ok iced 1 day in the real world. Poor little Rick girl forgive her because she has no clue what she is doing or how.
You can't fix stupid
Don
71863268 : entitled virtue signaling snide ungrateful little Bitchhh