Tuesday is Fasting Day for Disney Workers
Listen, I am a pro-union person. I believe that working people usually benefit from having a collective bargaining unit that pits them against management. Because if anyone thinks that management is keeping the best interests of workers in mind, they are absolutely delusional.
But.
I think that Disney hotel workers and their Unite Here Local 11 are asking for an awful lot in some pretty lean times. Very few people in this country are getting free healthcare, and I’m not understanding why they think they should, too.
My husband is being “asked” to take furlough days, and our healthcare costs (such as co-pays and prescription benefits) have recently risen. However, we’re thankful that he even has a job, and excellent healthcare benefits to go with it.
I think a hunger strike is a bit drastic, and it hurts me to say it, but Local 11 needs to stop having their members working without a contract and sign up for the same benefits that all other Disney employees have.
I hope it does hurt you to say it, as it should.
Instead of being inspired by the sight of working people standing up and fighting, and instead of offering them your moral and practical support, it seems like you are actually wishing defeat on them and praying that they lose their nerve soon and quit?
If this is what “pro-union” people think like, who needs union-busters anymore?
Somebody could stand up and fight for a twelve hour work week, and that is just unrealistic. Just because they are standing up and fighting for themselves doesn’t make them right.
I’m not usually one to say people should just take what they are given, but in this economic climate, this union is lucky to even be offered medical insurance, much less free medical insurance.
Part of being business savvy is knowing when to cut your losses, and I don’t see them winning this fight, no matter how many tactics they attempt to pull.
They aren’t being offered nothing, they just don’t like the something they are being offered.
I’ve never been a fan of the union that covers Disney’s hotel workers. Since I’ve lived in Orange County (2000-now), I’ve seen them strike over various issues far too many times. If there really are this many issues to work through, then it sounds as though they have a terrible union rep. And telling them to strike practically once a year only looks bad on the union and their workers.
I have to side with Gina about the health care. When I worked at Disneyland, I was offered GREAT healthcare at a very fair price…..and my department had NO union, so I can only imagine what they’re being offered. This sounds more like greed to me. I will admit that I have not read the details myself, nor do I really care enough to, as it doesn’t affect me. Just spouting my general opinion of what their union has shown in the past.
Screw the “this economic climate” part…I’ve NEVER gotten free health care in ANY economic climate. I don’t think anyone should. Sorry, I don’t. If they’re getting a paycheck, they can pay something into their health care benefits. There are many programs out there…even in “this economic climate” that allow businesses to offer their employees low cost health care. If they want to fight for that, then more power to them. But FREE health care? That’s completely unrealistic. I agree with the blogger…maybe these people should think about how lucky they are to have ANY job right now that offers ANY amount of health care. They could be one of the millions out there now with no job and no health care.
I’m not against unions, but it just seems to me that instead of making sure workers are FAIRLY treated and compensated, they want their worker’s to be EXORBITANTLY treated and compensated. Time for a wake-up call for unions.
Here is a scoop Disney made $1.25 billion in profit for 2008. Say those numbers outloud to yourself and if you want to continue to be a Disney
defense attorney then be my guest. Now if you don’t have a union or the other unions did not want to fight, then good for you and them. But the last time I checked this was America and this country was built on people fighting what they thought was just. If these workers want to fight then by all means its their business. And I’ve read a lot of nasty stuff about these workers from other working people, let me give you one more thing to ponder over while you are hating, if the worker agree to pay money and Disney pays less money, then one who was educated in America would figure maybe the prices at Disney would go down, right. Wrong any savings Disney reaps will go into their pockets. Remember the Bush tax cuts. That worked pretty good for working people. With the money the coperations saved on those tax cuts alone, it should be closed to zero unemployment. But until workers quit hating on each other as the coperations wants us to do , we will forever be blind , deaf and dumb.I also notice I didn’t see any Disney big shots speaking up they don’t need to , they have the misguided pople like you guys doing their dirty work.
If you peole were millionaires I could understand your motives, But right now you are looking like haters. Peace out, and quit being afraid of unions, we’re only maybe 12% of the population on a good day.
Please forgive me for typos , it should be people, and corperations. Just a student of the public schools, lol.
My husband is a union rep, as is my sister, so I don’t want to hear anyone bitching about me being “anti-union” because I am anything but.
HOWEVER, just because you have a union doesn’t mean that you get everything that you want as a worker. The unions are there to make sure that the workers are treated fairly by their employers.
The last time I checked, free health care was not part of that.
Sure, they can fight for whatever they want. It doesn’t mean they are going to get it, and I can’t see how they are being well-served by working for two years without a contract.
And the last time I checked, this is America and I have the right to speak my mind and disagree with them without being called names.
If I offended you then I sincerly apologize. However I stand my view also
and there have been a lot of haters on blogs as it relates to these Disney workers . We have this silly debate going on now about healthcare reform. The truth of the matter is when workers do fight they are only fighting to take money from one corporation [Disney] and give it to another {Kaiser or whomever]. This is money that workers need to pay for other neccesities in their lives, education, fuel and food comes to mind. So until we band together and fix healthcare we are all going to be shafted union and nonunion alike.Once agin I apologize. Peace out .
@the kid- I wish that there were way more unions than there are, and anti-union people confuse me. Why would anyone think that a collective bargaining practice meant to protect the worker was a bad thing?
But somehow, unions became demonized, and many of them are weak. So, most do not have quite the power that they used to.
So until people figure it out, you are right, we are all going to be shafted.