Yes we all want the CMs to get back to work ASAP (I’m out of work myself, so I get it).
But I think you are way off-base with your analogy here (sorry).
First, doing all these projects keeps dozens if not hundreds of workers employed. Yes, many of them are contract workers as most contruction projects always have been, but many are Disney workers that are project managers and so on.
Second – This is the perfect time to do this! Less guests in the parks makes it easier to get done! And besides, these are projects that need to be done if for anything to keep the maintenance up. How do you know that the MK sign didn’t need refurbishment anyway?
Third – It was the entertainment unions that put their foot down way back in July saying their workers would not be safe enough if they came back, and that was reproted here on ITM! Disney was indeed going to bring back some (not all) of those entertainers but when the unions got all uppity they said fine – Their not coming back then!
Yes all the CMs need to be safe and taken care of, but the other unions worked with Disney to make that happen, but the entertianment union did not!
Fourth – If you only have 25% of the guests, you only need about 25% of the CMs to cover it all (basic math!). Although again, when it comes to construction and upkeep I think it’s a larger percentage of workers that are back.
Fifth – You said “ hours of operation are being heavily pushed back” – yes they have been, but do you even read other articles on ITM? It was reported just a few days ago about the huge INCREASE in operating hours for the holidays, in fact near normal hours of opening!! And why would you keep the parks open 100% when the crowds were so low? They are increasing now, as is the operating hours!
Sixth – Do you live and California as I do? (Can’t wait to leave…). Do you know what a screwball Gov. Newsom is? Do you know how the city of Anaheim has lost over $100 million in tax dollars and that something like 70% of that city’s budget comes from the revenue the Disneyland (and the OC Convention Center and the Angels) bring in? Do you know that just about everything else, including indoor malls, are open here (yes, limited capacity)? Josh D’Amaro is 100% correct, along with the entire theme park and hospitality industry here, in calling out how unreasonable Newsom has become!
We have these stupid colored tiers that determine what a countycan do, even though some counties are made up of 30 cities! One county, Riverside, stretches for almost 100 miles yet our “smart as glue” governer put that entire county back to square one even though many of the cities within it have a tiny amount of cases!
I’m sorry… But I think you need to look at this all in another way! CMs do create magic for sure, but so does the parks themselves.
I basically agree. Short term you can put maintenance and improvements on hold. But that only works for a few months if that. It is very costly to close down some projects fir even a short time. And you have to think over five year plans and not a few weeks at a time. Disney needs constant new stuff to keep people happy. And the good stuff is long lead projects. Disney already scaled back stuff. Too much more and the future is in jeopardy. Have to keep the big picture in focus. Plus some stuff is cheaper and easier when crowds are low or hours cut back. I have opinions too but Disney is in best position to make these decisions. They may also suspect another close down so they may be preparing fir the worst. It is going to be a dark winter.
While I understand the sentiment and agree with the message, one paint job is a far different beast than 28,000 employees. A paint job is one and done (not much structurally is even changing). An employee is not only their wages, but their health benefits, HR, costuming, managing, bonuses, lawyers, etc. Plus with all the unions they deal with, it’s not like they can bring back a select few and ignore thousands of others because they saved money on one project.
In fact, you guys have reported on more projects being delayed/paused/cancelled.
Also, these projects may have already been greenlit and paid for before the pandemic, which would mean they would lose out on the value anyway if these projects were cancelled all together (it would be much harder to get the money back).
I am completely for helping out the cast members and my heart is completely with them, I used to be one, but Disney is in a dire situation. They are a publicly traded company and that goes first and above all things in a business, unfortunately.
And what would Disney do with all those employees if the park can’t even operate at more than 25% capacity? They would literally be bleeding money more than they already are by being open at only 25%.
In the end, Disney is a business that is just looking to survive this crazy time, too. They have been hit harder than most companies, yet they can and have tried to help out their own as much as they can. They kept CMs on their benefits for as long as they could have. But the fact of the matter is, there’s just no money coming in.
Disney has laid off cast members, hospitality, construction workers, and imagineers. We are going in December. We are already aware that no one will be cleaning our room during our stay, we will be in long lines for attractions, the parks will not be open early in the morning and late at night, no fast pass, restaurants with smaller menus (if they are open), can’t take our masks off for a minute to take a picture, can’t go into a counter service until we are summoned by the ap, slow transportation, carrying around your own luggage, and no discounts (at least for us). I made a dining reservation for Planet Hollywood. The cast member said to allow 90 minutes for transportation. That’s crazy!!! Every time you complain to Disney, they blame covid, and they admonish you for complaining. The real reason is they laid off castmembers. There is no one to help you. Disney managed to spend money on foolishness and executive salaries. They should sue California and get it over with. California is the reason for all of this.
Except, many times these are contracts where the monies have already been paid. Or at least a substantial portion has been paid.
You also forget that the people working on the projects would be unemployed if the work were to stop. These are jobs still critical to the overall success of the business, in that new and shiny attracts more guests than old and worn.
Even then, the true downside is that the amounts of money for these projects would stave off the cuts for maybe a few weeks at best. Disneyland will be shut down for many more months under the governor’s current plan.
With the crowd restrictions for Walt Disney World, it makes little sense to keep payroll at pre-covid levels. In the end, I would hate to see a company fold due to mismanaged funds, by simply having them not layoff employees. It is easy to see the short-term, but the long-term is what must always be in sight.
Comments for OpEd: Disney Should Stop Spending and Bring Back the 28,000 Cast Members Instead
Ken G
Yes we all want the CMs to get back to work ASAP (I’m out of work myself, so I get it).
But I think you are way off-base with your analogy here (sorry).
First, doing all these projects keeps dozens if not hundreds of workers employed. Yes, many of them are contract workers as most contruction projects always have been, but many are Disney workers that are project managers and so on.
Second – This is the perfect time to do this! Less guests in the parks makes it easier to get done! And besides, these are projects that need to be done if for anything to keep the maintenance up. How do you know that the MK sign didn’t need refurbishment anyway?
Third – It was the entertainment unions that put their foot down way back in July saying their workers would not be safe enough if they came back, and that was reproted here on ITM! Disney was indeed going to bring back some (not all) of those entertainers but when the unions got all uppity they said fine – Their not coming back then!
Yes all the CMs need to be safe and taken care of, but the other unions worked with Disney to make that happen, but the entertianment union did not!
Fourth – If you only have 25% of the guests, you only need about 25% of the CMs to cover it all (basic math!). Although again, when it comes to construction and upkeep I think it’s a larger percentage of workers that are back.
Fifth – You said “ hours of operation are being heavily pushed back” – yes they have been, but do you even read other articles on ITM? It was reported just a few days ago about the huge INCREASE in operating hours for the holidays, in fact near normal hours of opening!! And why would you keep the parks open 100% when the crowds were so low? They are increasing now, as is the operating hours!
Sixth – Do you live and California as I do? (Can’t wait to leave…). Do you know what a screwball Gov. Newsom is? Do you know how the city of Anaheim has lost over $100 million in tax dollars and that something like 70% of that city’s budget comes from the revenue the Disneyland (and the OC Convention Center and the Angels) bring in? Do you know that just about everything else, including indoor malls, are open here (yes, limited capacity)? Josh D’Amaro is 100% correct, along with the entire theme park and hospitality industry here, in calling out how unreasonable Newsom has become!
We have these stupid colored tiers that determine what a countycan do, even though some counties are made up of 30 cities! One county, Riverside, stretches for almost 100 miles yet our “smart as glue” governer put that entire county back to square one even though many of the cities within it have a tiny amount of cases!
I’m sorry… But I think you need to look at this all in another way! CMs do create magic for sure, but so does the parks themselves.
Randy
I basically agree. Short term you can put maintenance and improvements on hold. But that only works for a few months if that. It is very costly to close down some projects fir even a short time. And you have to think over five year plans and not a few weeks at a time. Disney needs constant new stuff to keep people happy. And the good stuff is long lead projects. Disney already scaled back stuff. Too much more and the future is in jeopardy. Have to keep the big picture in focus. Plus some stuff is cheaper and easier when crowds are low or hours cut back. I have opinions too but Disney is in best position to make these decisions. They may also suspect another close down so they may be preparing fir the worst. It is going to be a dark winter.
Mark C
While I understand the sentiment and agree with the message, one paint job is a far different beast than 28,000 employees. A paint job is one and done (not much structurally is even changing). An employee is not only their wages, but their health benefits, HR, costuming, managing, bonuses, lawyers, etc. Plus with all the unions they deal with, it’s not like they can bring back a select few and ignore thousands of others because they saved money on one project.
In fact, you guys have reported on more projects being delayed/paused/cancelled.
Also, these projects may have already been greenlit and paid for before the pandemic, which would mean they would lose out on the value anyway if these projects were cancelled all together (it would be much harder to get the money back).
I am completely for helping out the cast members and my heart is completely with them, I used to be one, but Disney is in a dire situation. They are a publicly traded company and that goes first and above all things in a business, unfortunately.
And what would Disney do with all those employees if the park can’t even operate at more than 25% capacity? They would literally be bleeding money more than they already are by being open at only 25%.
In the end, Disney is a business that is just looking to survive this crazy time, too. They have been hit harder than most companies, yet they can and have tried to help out their own as much as they can. They kept CMs on their benefits for as long as they could have. But the fact of the matter is, there’s just no money coming in.
Ken G
I don’t see my post put up yet, but I basically said the same thing!
beautiful gorgeous
Disney has laid off cast members, hospitality, construction workers, and imagineers. We are going in December. We are already aware that no one will be cleaning our room during our stay, we will be in long lines for attractions, the parks will not be open early in the morning and late at night, no fast pass, restaurants with smaller menus (if they are open), can’t take our masks off for a minute to take a picture, can’t go into a counter service until we are summoned by the ap, slow transportation, carrying around your own luggage, and no discounts (at least for us). I made a dining reservation for Planet Hollywood. The cast member said to allow 90 minutes for transportation. That’s crazy!!! Every time you complain to Disney, they blame covid, and they admonish you for complaining. The real reason is they laid off castmembers. There is no one to help you. Disney managed to spend money on foolishness and executive salaries. They should sue California and get it over with. California is the reason for all of this.
LZ
CA is to blame for FL? Oh joy…that’s a slight better argument than Hillary’s emails over something. Still trash; but better.
Nick
Are you dense??? Seriously.
Talk about not understanding busines 101. But.. considering the rest of your comment, I’m not surprised.
Go get in line for your next handout
Tatsu
Except, many times these are contracts where the monies have already been paid. Or at least a substantial portion has been paid.
You also forget that the people working on the projects would be unemployed if the work were to stop. These are jobs still critical to the overall success of the business, in that new and shiny attracts more guests than old and worn.
Even then, the true downside is that the amounts of money for these projects would stave off the cuts for maybe a few weeks at best. Disneyland will be shut down for many more months under the governor’s current plan.
With the crowd restrictions for Walt Disney World, it makes little sense to keep payroll at pre-covid levels. In the end, I would hate to see a company fold due to mismanaged funds, by simply having them not layoff employees. It is easy to see the short-term, but the long-term is what must always be in sight.
Comments are closed.