Snow White and Peter Pan arrested About This Page:

[A Pair and A Spare]

Sad but true... read about it here.

Costumed workers arrested at Disneyland - Crime & courts - MSNBC.com

[DISNEY03]

very interesting, thanks for sharing.

[griffin]

Apparently they dressed up just to get publicity. It says that are maids, bellhops, cooks, and dishwashers. $14 an hour for working at a bakery sounded good to me though?? I don't know if the healthcare was really free or Disney just paid the lions share of it...We will see what happens...

[LeapDayBaby]

I'm not unsympathetic to the Disneyland employees, but being a life and health insurance agent, I can understand where Disneyland is coming from with their approach. According to the article I read on AOL, Disneyland pays 75% of the cost of health care premiums for most employees. Disney employees should consider themselves lucky that Disney pays as much of the cost of their health insurance as they do - if a 100-employee company in my area paid 75% of the cost of its employees' health plan, the company wouldn't be able to survive!

Health care premiums have risen drastically over the past several years, far outpacing inflation. Employers across the country are doing the same thing that Disneyland is doing out of financial necessity - the only difference is that Disney is a huge company and attracts publicity a lot more easily than XYZ Manufacturing

It's still a bummer that costumed employees were arrested though - it must have confused and upset a lot of kids

- Laurie

[lauren-roxy]

Thanks for the link.

[joeandjenn]

I don't see the problem. It's a business decision. Disney is cutting back on their healthcare, not deleting it completely. DH's company does this same thing every year! It's gotten more expensive to pay for insurance every year. Welcome to the world of corporate America. Would I like it if I were the employee? No. Would I deface my employer in protest? No. Would I possibly look for another job? Yup!

[chezp]

Thanks for that link. Interesting.

[yakamishi]

Welcome to the egocentric land of unions. Where everything is about them.

Sheesh, I wish my company paid 75%..... and 14$ an hour??!?! What the hell's the problem?

[cdnmickeyfan]

75% sounds pretty good to me, especially for US Health Care.

[sweetyface77]

75% of healthcare paid and $14.00/hr? That doesn't sound horrific to me. My sympathies go out to all those who feel they are being wronged, however what they are receiving is a lot more than those who make just barely over minimum wage. I work at a Staffing Agency and one of the customers we service pays only $10.50 & $11.15 an hour. It's really very sad.

[w-steele]

Originally Posted by sweetyface77

75% of healthcare paid and $14.00/hr? That doesn't sound horrific to me. My sympathies go out to all those who feel they are being wronged, however what they are receiving is a lot more than those who make just barely over minimum wage. I work at a Staffing Agency and one of the customers we service pays only $10.50 & $11.15 an hour. It's really very sad.

I must take offense to what was just written. Before we start, I want to say I am ANTI-UNION now and forever but to say $10.50 and $11.15 is what is paid in 'your area' can not be compared to what is paid in another area. What is the cost of living in Mass? Compare it to what it is out here in Calif. It cost a heck of a lot more out here than it does in most parts of the country. Apartment rents on average run between $900 to 1500 a month for a one bedroom and you can bet it's higher for a two bedroom. Food, gas, electric bills etc etc are higher out here than in most areas too.
As to the insurance issue, even though we live in Calif, my wifes employeer is based in Springfield Mass and we have Blue Cross of Mass, for the two of us, she pays about $500 a month. I think due to the high costs in medical care, the empolyee should shoulder some of the cost too.

[eff051102]

I think that everyone here has a valid point and I am all for people speaking
up if they have problems with their company. However, I think dressing up
as characters was a bit much and IMHO was not the best way to get change
to happen.

Just my two cents.

[disney]

thanks for the link , know matter what anyone says there are always going to be two sides to a story . i work for a union but i do not fully preach what they say . we have a contract that is up labor day. fingers crossed .

[coffeechef]

I really love Disney and do defend the Company under many circumstances. THe Woman making $14.00 per hour has probably been working there over 10 years. Disney really does not pay it employees all that well. Plus these folks are not only fighting for themselves but for future employees who will be starting at Minimum wage & having to pay for benefits that they can not afford. the cost of living in California is very high, Wearing the Costumes gets them the attention that they need to make them take notice. Do you remember when the Disney employees had to fight in their contract not to have to wear the dirty tights of the last person who wore them. Believe me I am generally on Manangement's side mainly because I am Management. But I also work for a Company where the People who make double what I make, talk about how the benefit package is killing their bottom line , yet they get that same benefit package too. Disney is a business... they need to learn to take care of their Employees first. It is what most Good Companies do. sorry..... stepping off the soapbox now.

[yakamishi]

What always troubled me about protests like this is....go ...work...somewhere...else.

For example all these people protesting Walmart because their fringe benefits are not what they want. SO!? Go work somewhere that does. No one's holding a gun to your head that says you have to work there.

Or better yet...go take a leap and open your own business and offer YOUR employees all these benefit you feel your entitled to.