Posts tagged Disney
Actors and writers on strike rally in Philadelphia and Chicago as union action spreads
July 24, 2023 // While Los Angeles and New York are the epicenters of strike actions, there are dozens of mid-sized and small locals across the country representing performers and writers. “We have the same issues,” said Nikki Izanec, president of the Philadelphia SAG-AFTRA local, on her way to Thursday’s rally. “Lots of people pay attention to L.A. and New York, but our issues are the same as theirs.”
Disney Worker Hits UNITE HERE Union with Federal Charge for Illegal Dues Seizures
July 3, 2023 // According to the charge filed in December 2022, Class resigned his union membership and revoked the union’s authorization to deduct dues from his paycheck. That December letter also requested, if union officials did not immediately accept his dues checkoff revocation, that the union, within 14 days of receipt, provide him with a copy of any checkoff he may have signed. As of the filing of the charge, union officials had not stopped collecting dues from his wages, nor had they provided him with the requested copy of a signed checkoff authorization, which might specify when revocation is allowed.
Commentary: The Left and their Union Masters
June 27, 2023 // Since Janus, government employee unions have lost nearly 800,000 members, taking with them billions in dues revenue that can never again be used to fund a machine that suppresses the rights of its own members in order to advance policies that rob the rest of us our God-given freedoms.
Hollywood directors reach labor pact, writers remain on strike
June 5, 2023 //
WGA Strike: Disney Using “Union-Busting Tactics,” Guild Says; Mouse House, HBO, CBS Demand Showrunners Work Despite Labor Action – Update
May 8, 2023 // “Under the National Labor Relations Act, the WGA is not permitted to interfere with an employer’s right to designate employees to perform certain supervisory functions,” the correspondence, with accompanying dos and dont’s, added. “If you fail to provide contracted services due to the strike, HBO/HBO Max will not be obliged to continue your salary,” it went on to say in the FAQ portion of the letter. And then, perhaps even more so that calling guild contract interpretations “misleading,” there was the kicker: “Further, if production is interrupted by the strike, even if you offer to continue to work, HBO/HBO Max will not be obliged to continue your salary, nor the salary of the cast and crew.” Disney shot out a similar letter with the same iron fist in a velvet-glove tone.
Hollywood writers vote on whether to give negotiators power to call strike
April 17, 2023 // The strike authorization vote is meant to turn up the heat on companies such as Netflix Inc (NFLX.O) and Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) and convince them to raise the pay for writers, who say their compensation has suffered because of the streaming revolution, which resulted in shorter TV seasons and smaller residual payments.
Op-ed: Why Employers Forcing a Return to Office is Leading to More Worker Power and Unionization
February 23, 2023 // It's important to recognize that this turn to worker power is happening in the context of massive layoffs by tech companies, which are becoming less willing to offer perks like remote work to their workforce. In fact, there's evidence that some companies such as Twitter are using return-to-office mandates to get workers to quit voluntarily, to avoid paying severance. Employers are increasingly getting the upper hand, as workers who feel anxious about the economy are reluctant to make demands for more remote work. However, such strategies may well backfire against employers in the long term if they spur increases in labor union organizing; even though individual employees might be anxious about their jobs, together they can press their case, especially given an unemployment rate of 3.4%, the lowest in over 50 years. And even tech workers are finding new jobs in three months or so, pointing to the strength of the labor market despite some shift toward employer power.
Union representing Disney World employees urging workers to reject company’s latest wage offer
January 31, 2023 // Disney spokesperson said, "This very strong offer provides our Cast Members with a nearly 10% average increase immediately and guaranteed raises for the next four years with every single non-tipped Cast Member promised at least a $20 starting wage during the contract, and the majority seeing a 33% to 46% increase during that time." All six unions representing workers in the Service Trades Council Union (STCU) are recommending that members vote no on Disney's contract proposal to keep fighting for a better pay rate.
Disney’s best offer for union employees falls short, according to the workers’ unions
January 12, 2023 // ORLANDO THEME PARKS Disney's best offer for union employees falls short, according to the workers' unions The STCU, a coalition of six labor unions representing 42,000 Disney employees, recommends rejecting the latest offer By McKenna Schueler on Tue, Jan 10, 2023 at 11:26 am SEND A NEWS TIP STCU union members rallied in between bargaining sessions on Wednesday, Nov. 30 - photo via Unite Here photo via Unite Here STCU union members rallied in between bargaining sessions on Wednesday, Nov. 30 After months of contract negotiations, and a rally to bring attention to the need for the Walt Disney Co. to pay its Orlando employees wages that keep up with the cost of living, the unions representing Disney workers say the company's "best offer" falls short. "Disney workers are facing extreme financial difficulties including inflation, which has caused the price of food and rent to skyrocket," the Service Trades Council Union, a coalition of six labor unions representing 42,000 Disney employees, shared in a news release. According to the unions, Disney unveiled its "best offer" for its Orlando employees during contract negotiations on Monday. The offer, in line with what Central Florida's largest employer floated last year, is an immediate $1 raise for the majority of their union workers in 2023, which would bring the minimum wage for their lowest paid workers to $16 an hour, and a $1 raise annually over the next five years. But the unions say this isn't good enough. The STCU has called on Disney to establish an $18 minimum wage, and a $3 pay raise in 2023 for workers who already make near or above that, to keep up with the higher cost of living in Central Florida. Leadership of all six unions have recommended that union members reject the latest offer from Disney. "Sixteen dollars per hour in 2023 does not keep up with the rising cost of living," said the STCU. "Every worker needs an initial raise larger than $1 to address these concerns."
Op-Ed: Disney Cast Members Set to Strike Over Wages
November 7, 2022 // Contract negotiations failed when Disney refused to go above its proposed $1 per hour wage increase. The union has been asking for a $ 5-an-hour increase that would take place over the next three years. The state of negotiations is not known at this time. It is possible that the strike is being used as a negotiation tactic, which is not unusual when negotiations seem to be stalling.