https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/17/media/ab ... index.htmlQuote:
New York (CNN Business)The Walt Disney Co. strongly disputed allegations from family heiress Abigail Disney, who said she found workers struggling when she recently visited Disneyland undercover.
Abigail Disney, in an interview with Yahoo, said Disneyland workers told her they are forced to sift through "other people's garbage" for food, and they are struggling to stay happy. Abigail Disney said she went to Disneyland incognito to observe worker conditions and was "so livid" at what she saw.
In a new statement, the company told CNN Business Wednesday that Abigail Disney's account is "particularly egregious" hyperbole. It said that it ordinarily does not comment on "baseless reports," but it wouldn't "let this stand."
"This widely reported stunt is a gross and unfair exaggeration of the facts that is not only a misrepresentation, but also an insult to the thousands of employees who are part of the Disney community," a Disney (DIS) spokesman said Wednesday. "We strongly disagree with this characterization of our employees and their experience at Disney."
The company said it currently pays its workers an average of $19.50 an hour, which is more than double the federal minimum wage. Disney pays Disney employees a starting hourly wage of $15. The company has also committed $150 million to its Disney Aspire program that pays for workers to earn a college, high school or vocational degree. And it offers a number of other benefits, including subsidized childcare, leave policies, and access to pharmacies and clinics.
Abigail Disney told Yahoo this week that the work culture her grandfather Roy Disney promoted of respecting employees had slowly declined. She didn't immediately respond to request for comment on Disney's response.
Disney insists that the company respects its workers and improves their lives.
"The men and women who make Disney parks such a special experience for millions of people are dedicated, hardworking and proud, and we will continue to listen to, empower and reward them," the company said. "That's what this company has done throughout its history and will continue to do in the future."
Abigail Disney has frequently spoken out about how much more CEO Bob Iger's makes compared to average Disney workers. In April, she tweeted, "by any objective measure, a pay ratio over a thousand is insane." She also disclosed that she owned a few Disney shares but does not have any say over company operations.
In May, Abigail Disney addressed Congress on Capitol Hill.
"We need to change the way we understand and practice capitalism." She told members of a House committee that companies should deliver returns to shareholders "without trampling on the dignity and rights of their employees."
Based on what was said in the article, it doesn't sound like Disney treats its employees too shabbily.
Articles like this do make me wonder how long it will be before people start calling attention to the disparity between the salaries of professional athletes and the salaries of other team employees and employees of the arenas at which they play. It's not really the same thing, though, as the CEO of Disney isn't putting asses in the park the way Kevin Durant and Tom Brady put asses in the seats.
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My US roommate was Mormon. He was in GenPop. Smelled a little funny, but otherwise was an ok guy. The only true need would have been for Muslims that had a religious need. OR more likely...it was just like going to college. Parents said you could go IF you stayed in the 'virgin vault' or whatever. That didn't always mean those sent to the virgin vault liked it or lived by the rules. But the vault was there so the school could say it existed and the daughter could say she lived in it. Good times still took place albeit at a different pace.
