Mickey Mouse got berned: Bernie Sanders Criticizes Disney During Anaheim Rally - LaughingPlace.com During a campaign stop at the Anaheim Convention Center today, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders pointed to neighboring Disneyland as an example of a corporation not paying their employees a living wage. According to Politico, Sanders asked the crowd gathered at his rally if anyone worked for Disney. He followed this up by asking if anyone was making a living wage there. "I’m probably the only politician to come to Anaheim and say this. I use Disney not to pick on Disney but as an example of what we are talking about when we talk about a rigged economy." Sanders said. The candidate also singled out Disney CEO Bob Iger, saying, “I dare say the CEO of Disney is in that wealthiest one percent” and that Disney had “record profits” last quarter. Meanwhile, the candidate claimed, “Disney pays its workers wages that are so low that many of them are forced to live in motels because they can’t afford a decent place to live.”
Just one more example of why Sanders really irritates me. Disney has a full range of jobs, some of them paying quite well. The base pay for part-time CM is low, but more than competitive with other positions that don't require anything other than a high school diploma. When my sister-in-law worked for Disney in Orlando she was able to advance fairly quickly with promotions. The job definitely paid better than similar positions in Orlando.
Update: Disneyland has issued a statement on the Senator's remarks: “Mr. Sanders clearly doesn’t have his facts right. The Disneyland Resort generates more than $5.7 billion annually for the local economy, and as the area’s largest employer has added more than 11,000 jobs over the last decade, a 65% increase. These numbers don’t take into account our $1 billion expansion to add a Star Wars-themed land, which will create thousands of additional jobs across multiple sectors.”
On a possibly-related note, the local DC news just showed a live helicopter shot from Anaheim, where there's a group of protesters outside the convention center. Apparently there is some Trump event there tonight (so soon after the Sanders event?) that they're looking to disrupt. There appeared to be at least 200 people there, many standing/walking in the street. The eastbound lanes of Katella appeared to be closed to traffic, but eastbound was open The local reporter said that they were planning on having a strong police presence to deter any potential conflicts
A CM friend said that police are using the Pumbaa lot for their basecamp, and have the whole thing blocked off. Apparently there have already been arrests made on Disney property, and people can hear the police bullhorns inside the various hotels surrounding the resort And there's a Grade Nite tonight. I'm glad I'm nowhere near Anaheim right now!
