Goofy, Mickey and Minnie.
The smiling figures hide anger at the salary increase that was offered to them (Photo: Reuters)
It seems to be the dream destination of every child - and of everyone who remains a child at heart: from Snow White and Cinderella, through Mickey and Donald to more advanced fantasies such as Toy Story, Indiana Jones and more, there is no one who has not heard of Disney World in Florida, the world famous theme park - And there is no one who hasn't dreamed of spending time there (or in the closer version, on the outskirts of Paris).
It is true that in recent years we have become accustomed to a wide range of amusements, with theme parks or "just" lots of fun, but the animated characters created by Walt Disney, who are resurrected before our eyes, seem irreplaceable.
So there is no substitute, but very soon there may be difficulties with the original as well due to a labor dispute that broke out in the fantasy kingdom.
The beginning of negotiations between the Disney management and the 32,000 unionized employees at the park (out of approximately 75,000 employed, some in part-time jobs) was in August 2022, towards the end of the wage agreement in October.
According to the company's management, since then they have gone towards the employees with benefits and salary upgrades that amount to an average of $700 per employee.
In the face of this claim, the employee representatives explain that approximately 75% of Disney's theme park employees earn only approximately $15 per hour of work.
According to them, the increase in the cost of living has been proven, and in particular the sky high rents in the Orlando area, which reached an average of $1,800 per month for a standard apartment, they have no choice but to demand salary increases.
The management of the company offered them an increase of one dollar per hour of work, but the workers' organizations announced that they were demanding an increase of $3 per hour of work, so the gap between the parties is large.
Disney will soon publish the annual report, including the last quarter of 2022. According to the previous reports, the company greatly increased its revenues last year (mainly due to the end of the corona restrictions), but despite revenues of many billions, the company's profits are on the decline.
Will Mickey, Donald, Goofy and Pinocchio go on strike soon?
At least for now it seems that the chances of that are high.
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