Earl Penson has worked for 11 years as a food handler, managing and distributing deliveries for the Disney World theme park in Orlando, Florida, but makes just 50 cents more an hour than a new employee starting at Disney’s current minimum wage set at $15 an hour.
He works over 40 hours a week at the so-called “Magic Kingdom”, starting work around 2am, working anywhere from eight to 10 hours or more, and takes side gigs as an electrician to make extra money.
“We’re grossly, grossly underpaid for the hours that we work and the heavy lifting, it’s like warehouse and driver work. A lot of us have the same story in not being able to afford the cost of living on the pay that we make,” said Penson. “A lot of Disney workers are barely squeaking by. You have workers with families sleeping in their car.”
About 70,000 employees at Disney World, the largest single-site employer in the US and world’s largest theme park, are currently pushing for wage increases through new union contract negotiations.
The Services Trades Council Union (STCU), a coalition of six unions that represents 42,000 workers, are pushing for wage increases that account for inflationary pressures and the high cost of living in the Orlando area. The current contract that expired in October 2022, which includes a no-strike clause, is extended until a new contract is reached.
In the previous contract in 2018, Disney workers successfully pushed for a $15 minimum wage, which they received in late 2021.
But workers say these wages currently don’t correlate with the workloads and job duties they perform and aren’t enough to keep up with the rising costs of living. According to the MIT Living Wage Calculator, a living wage for an individual with no dependents in Orange county, Florida, is currently $18.19 an hour.
Penson’s father was a chef at Disney and encouraged him to start working there over a decade ago after he was struggling to find work as an electrician, and had moved back in with his parents due to the soaring costs of rent. He criticized Disney’s current wage offerings and opposition to the union’s current proposals.
“It’s really heartbreaking, it’s a morale downer, because you would think they would recognize how hard the cast members work,” added Penson. “I wish they would let us know that they appreciate the magic that we bring. Every one of us is a part of the magic of Disney and we enjoy making the magic. We just want to be compensated for making the magic.”
Other workers agree. A Disney housekeeping worker who requested to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, explained the pay is nowhere close to where it needs to be in line with the costs of living in the Orlando area. They recently had a newborn son and received no paid leave.
“With Christmas around the corner we’re beyond stressed,” they said. “Groceries are limited because we just can’t afford it. It’s genuinely an emergency for our survival at this point.”
A recent report published by Unite Here found tourism workers in the Orlando area were experiencing issues in affording rent and food as the industry has surpassed pre-pandemic profits, with average rents in the area surging by 23.7% over the past year.
The unions are pushing for an immediate wage increase to $18 an hour and a path to $20 an hour for all employees. Workers organized a protest outside of Disney in Kissimmee, Florida, on 30 November, calling on the company to enact immediate wage increases to stave off issues in affording rent, healthcare and basic needs.
Disney has currently offered a path to $20 an hour in five years, with $1 an hour raise annually. Disney’s parks division reported $28.7bn in revenue in fiscal year 2022, with a $3.6bn operating profit.
A spokesperson for Disney said in regards to the proposals: “We have presented a strong and meaningful offer that far outpaces Florida minimum wage by at least $5 an hour and immediately takes starting wages for certain roles including bus drivers, housekeepers and culinary up to a minimum of $20 an hour while providing a path to $20 for all other full-time, non-tipped STCU roles during the contract term.”
