Senator Bernie Sanders Urges Disney To Pay Workers a “Livable Wage”
The Walt Disney Company has come under fire recently for their employees’ wages.
Photo: CBR.com
We recently reported on Disney World employees struggling to pay bills with an average hourly rate of $15, and the Service Trades Council Union and Disney have engaged in negotiations to no avail, with Disney rejecting the union’s most recent proposal.
Now others are weighing in on this developing situation.
Senator Bernie Sanders
Senator Bernie Sanders recently tweeted a critical view of Disney’s choice to reject the union’s recent proposal of $18 per hour, arguing that if The Walt Disney Company can give former CEO Bob Chapek an exit payout of $20.4 million, “it can afford to pay Disney World Cast Members who are struggling to pay the rent & groceries a minimum wage of at least $18 hour.”
He concludes by urging Disney to “pay your workers a living wage.”
If Disney can afford to give a $20 million golden parachute last year to a CEO who did a lousy job, it can afford to pay Disney World Cast Members who are struggling to pay the rent & groceries a minimum wage of at least $18/hour. I say to Disney: Pay your workers a living wage.
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) February 22, 2023
In early February, the union rejected Disney’s offer to institute an immediate $1 raise, after requesting $18 an hour.
Negotiations between Disney and the Service Trades Council resumed in mid-February, just one day after Universal announced plans to increase employee wages to $17 an hour in June.
Spaceship Earth in EPCOT
Service Trades Council Union members requested Disney raise wages immediately by $2 an hour, followed by another $1 raise next year, which would bring many Cast Members to $18 an hour.
After almost nine hours of negotiations, however, Disney refused to acquiesce to the union’s requests.
Cinderella Castle
It is not yet known when negotiations will resume, but we’ll be keeping our eyes peeled for updates. Keep following MickeyBlog for more Disney news!
