Layoffs Accelerate at WDW

[Patricia]

Seriously..

How did this thread turn into a "let's trash all the CP's" topic?

We do have people reading here (contributing members of Icot) in the CP.. please stop insulting them. Like any employee base, there are good and bad in every age group. I've had some really lousy CM experiences with the adults.

Play nice.

[Ed]

Whie my DF and I were there in February, one morning we were on the bus from MK and another driver came aboard and asked our driver if he heard about the layoffs. He said yes and could not imagine 1200 people being laid off and how he couldn't keep working 12 hour days anymore.

1200 people in February and another 450 last week?

I feel so sorry for those people and their families and wish them the best.

Just for the record - -

The "1200 people" who were supposedly laid off in February were obviously yet another case of busdriverrumoritis. No such layoff happened.

[DisneyFanaticDargon]

Oh, in a perfect world, yes, the CP would be cut and more "real" staff would be utilized. But in the world of profits and executive bonuses, the CP is a perfect fit. You get people to all but volunteer and all you need to do is offer some empty promises. They get paid just about nothing, they don't need to hit the books that semester, and it supposedly looks good on a resume.

Disney gets to fill some hours to keep the parks open and the registers working. Works out well for everyone...

What about the guests you ask? Oh, who cares...

I'm sorry but as a thrice-former College Program Intern and a current Campus Representative for Disney I take a high amount of offense to this statement.

For your information, many current Disney leaders got their start on the Disney College Program and many more former participants are being offered leadership positions today. It is not 'cheap labor' or 'empty promises'. The college program is what YOU as a student MAKE OF IT. Yes, there will be bad apples who complain about the program and do not deliver the utmost in guest service, but what do you expect? The sheer number of people Disney recruits for the college program alone would suggest that not all of them are bound to be model Cast Members.

I can assure you though, they are the ones going down to Florida expecting a huge party, wild nights, and no school for 6 months. Those are also the people that are usually sent packing within 2 months of arrival because they did not take it seriously. I'm sorry if any of you were there to experience these individuals during their brief tenure at the Walt Disney World Resort but please do not use them to label the entire group of College Program cast members, past and present.

The people that worked, and still work there as part of the College Program, myself included, that went down there with the mindset that it would be fun, but it still is in fact, a job, are the ones that uphold the ideals set by Walt for what a Cast Member is expected to do. Many of you have probably met them, and unless you immediately took note that their name tag showed their current educational institution instead of their hometown, you probably thought to yourself that they were a full time cast member.

The College Program is an amazing experience that changed my entire outlook on what I wanted to do with my life, and it has done so for many people. Whenever I do a job interview, the first question that comes up is what it was like for me working for the Disney Company. And I can honestly say, as part of the college program, it was the best experience of my life.

So before you throw your uninformed opinions into the mix, please remember that the College Program is really something one has to experience to understand. It's not just a job, it's a way of life for most of us from a period of 5 to 7 months (and sometimes longer) that could very well become a career. I am extremely grateful for having been granted the opportunity to participate in it 3 times and applaud the College Program cast members giving it their all even during this rough time for the company.

[DizneyRox]

Interns, or as Disney calls them are in fact cheap labor. Corporations, not just Disney, often take advantage of it for that reason. I'm sure the PR folks will put a positive OJT type spin on it, but it is what it is.

Yes, you are right, the CP IS what you make of it, and I have always maintained there are still a few good CMs left. Finding them is often hard, but they exist. Same holds true for the CP. I would expect that many find it an opportunity to work for the mouse, get their foot in the door and hopefully make something out of it. But, for the majority of CP interns, nothing does. Disney just doesn't have the jobs available to convert CP staff into FT positions, they would rather fill them next semester with a new intern making less than they would need to pay a FT person, etc.

But lets not cloud the point, the CP IS cheap labor for Disney. If they had to make a choice between offering the same number of FT positions as CP positions, they will choose CP positions 100% of the time. If they can find a few diamonds in the rough, good for them, but it's definitely not a program they maintain solely to develop talent.

[joanna71985]

Oh, in a perfect world, yes, the CP would be cut and more "real" staff would be utilized. But in the world of profits and executive bonuses, the CP is a perfect fit. You get people to all but volunteer and all you need to do is offer some empty promises. They get paid just about nothing, they don't need to hit the books that semester, and it supposedly looks good on a resume.

Disney gets to fill some hours to keep the parks open and the registers working. Works out well for everyone...

What about the guests you ask? Oh, who cares...

i personally think that they should cut the college program. give the people who actually want to work the jobs and send the kids back to school.

i'm only saying this because i overheard some college program kids say how they thought this would be more fun and ignored the person asking for help.

in the past i'm sure this program was a success. but the fact is, from what i have seen, they don't seem very interested in their work and would much rather have fun.

That's not true at all. The majority of students are on the CP to work hard and to gain experience. The CP is such an awsome experience. It definitely should not be cut. Also, not everyone on the CP is a kid. I know plenty of adults who have done the CP.

CPs are being heavily utilized. They are paid the lowest wages and don't get benefits. They are very cheap labor for Disney. Unfortunately they are also the least likely to go out of their way to ensure that guests have a magical experience at WDW.

I don't think that's fair to assume. I know plenty of CPs who do their job right (including myself).

[DizneyFreak2002]

I don't think that's fair to assume. I know plenty of CPs who do their job right (including myself).

Glad you said this... Two years ago I met a CP cast member named Jessica... She was from a college in NJ, that's why I started talking to her... She was very nice and extremely helpful.. Her co-worker, another CP cast member, was extremely cheerful and bubbly... People can say CPer's won't go out of there way for the guests, yet, I find more full timers tend to act that way...

[Mickey91]

I don't think that's fair to assume. I know plenty of CPs who do their job right (including myself).

I agree. While it is true from a business standpoint that the CP is a better value for the company, you cannot lump all these guys and gals onto one big lazy pot. My most recent pleasant interaction with a CM was actually with a CP. A very nice girl from Colorado. We saw her in the Emporium and had a very nice conversation and pin trading session. We actually had a very nice time talking to and getting to know several CPs that trip. Not all CPs will be the great employee that they should be, but I can now count on more than ten fingers how many times a regular CM has made my trip far less than magical!!

[PAYROLL PRINCESS]

My sympathies to anyone in any industry who has lost their job due to this lousy economic situation. I keep hoping we see a turnaround soon.
I'm not going to get into the why's or who should be cut, anyone losing their job is suffering since unemployment doesn't pay as much as the wages that were being earned. My heart goes out to all of you.

[Celestria]

i heard today that people who retire from disney can come back and work.. but start at the bottom payroll. do you think they would still allow that?

now i'm going to say sorry for my college program post. i guess people took my personal opinion to heart and turned this thread around. it was a comment based on my experiences (negative on both ends), nothing more.

[DizneyRox]

i heard today that people who retire from disney can come back and work.. but start at the bottom payroll. do you think they would still allow that?

I also heard they don't honor years of service toward seniority...

[Ed]

Confirmed yesterday ~ from Orlandosentinel.com:

The Walt Disney Co.'s domestic theme parks eliminated 1,900 jobs during the past six weeks — including 1,400 in Florida — the company acknowledged Friday.

The nationwide job losses included approximately 1,150 layoffs, 50 buyouts and the elimination of 700 open positions, the company said. The Florida cuts included 900 layoffs and buyouts and 500 vacant jobs that will go unfilled.

The vast majority of Disney's Florida work force is at Walt Disney World, though the company also slashed jobs at other operations in the area such as Disney Vacation Club and at a reservations center in Tampa.

Disney said the cuts, which are mostly complete, targeted executive, management, professional and administrative positions. The company would not say how much it expects to save through the moves.

[Red Randal]

Curious, as I just saw a story about this earlier today and posted it but had the thread merged into this one...

Is this separate from the cuts and buyouts offered to management earlier in the spring or is this just the final tally of how many jobs were cut? Or is it, perhaps, a combination of the two?

[TheRustyScupper]

It is not 'cheap labor' or 'empty promises'.

1) I agree, it is what you make of it.
2) However, WDW does consider it cheap labor.
3) In fact, I have been in discussions where that phrase was used.
4) Facts:
. . . lowest WDW pay is $7.35 to start *
. . . CM's have insurance, vacations, other benefits
. . . CP's make as low as $7.21 to start
. . . CP's have no insurance, vacation or other benefits


* Lowest starting wages for CM's
. . . Costume
. . . Sassagoula Friendship boat driver (POR, POFQ, OKW, SSR)
. . . Hospitality (Front Desk)
. . . Laundry Helper
. . . Themed Doorman (Greeters)
. . . Parking Lot

[Polynesian Dweller]

i heard today that people who retire from disney can come back and work.. but start at the bottom payroll. do you think they would still allow that?

That's not unusual and certainly not unique to Disney. When someone retires they in effect leave their employment. So when you come back you are essentially coming back to a new position as a new employee.

Most union contracts see that are written in that way. So yes, they should be allowed to do that because it will be part of their CBA with their unions. Sometimes employers will start a 'returning' person at higher than bottom due to experience but they aren't required to do that unless it is in the CBA.

[Camping Mom]

A friend of ours went thru the College Program, and as much as she loved it and gave her heart to it, she never cracked a book or took a class. She got paid next to nothing and even had to pay for the room that Disney "gave" her. But, she loved it because it gave her the Disney experience.

My son is a CM. His salary is rediculous so he has to have room mates to make ends meet. He also says that if he can survive a few years in all the layoffs that he can climb up the ladder. He loves working at Disney.

We have talked to employees when we visit that have been at Disney for 30 years. Just getting to go to the parks all the time is a huge perk for the employees.