Originally Posted By ploeb909 Ok,whats the deal with the picketers at the resort?? Ok, I get the need for more money and benefits, but waking me up(at 6am) on my vacation is not going to get me to get behind this situation. Not happy about that at all! I was there from 6/22-6/27 at the PPH and was awoken to the horn honking and pot banging-anyone know anything about this?
Originally Posted By amazedncal2 I don't know anything about this but I agree that while I might support and agree with their grievances I would be ticked if they woke me up on vacation. 6am? I even get ticked at the birds at home for chirping at that time on a weekend! Not a smart move on the picketers part if they want support.
Originally Posted By Walter Elias I haven't heard anything either. I will say this, though, unions are like mini mafia's and this is added proof. Right after the union first infiltrated Disney...they went on strike. What Walt had always considered to be a close-knit family took on a whole different feel.
Originally Posted By alexbook Here's the latest story I can find from the Orange County Register: >>Tuesday, June 24, 2008 Workers dress like 'toons to protest Disney Unite Here Local 681 wants pay increase for hotel workers at resort. BY ADAM TOWNSEND THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER ANAHEIM – Members of the union representing 2,300 workers at three Disneyland hotels dressed as cartoon characters and protested at the park Tuesday morning. The pickets are part of an ongoing effort by the union to influence contract talks that are underway between the union, Unite Here Local 681, and Disney management. "Talks have progressively gotten worse,†said Unite Here 681 President Ada Briceño. “We have been making sure Disney knows we’re serious."<< >>Disney officials said they were frustrated that Unite Here 681 leadership was negotiating the contract in the media. Disney spokeswoman Lisa Haines said Disneyland management has good relations with the other 23 unions organizing workers at the Anaheimpark.<< <a href="http://www.ocregister.com/articles/workers-union-unite-2075669-hotel-disney" target="_blank">http://www.ocregister.com/arti...l-disney</a> Here's the union's web site: <a href="http://www.local681.org/disneynegotiations/" target="_blank">http://www.local681.org/disney...iations/</a> I don't know if Disney has a web site devoted to the negotiations. If they do, I can't find it.
Originally Posted By SpokkerJones I'm not sure who is in the right or wrong here, but I think that if I were a member of the union and worked in a Disneyland hotel, instead of striking I would go enroll in a local community college and take some classes. That's just me, though.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt I think it's ridiculous for the unions to blab to the media without at least meeting with Disney at the negotiating table. These people are supposed to representing the workers and yet they are airing their grievances to the media like gossips.
Originally Posted By alexbook ^--Of course, it's the union's claim that Disney isn't meeting with them, not vice versa.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt I guess. I still don't understand what banging pots and pans at the crack of dawn and blabbing to the media will do to help their cause.
Originally Posted By mawnck >>I still don't understand what banging pots and pans at the crack of dawn and blabbing to the media will do to help their cause.<< It gets a bunch of irate guests into the front lobby at the crack o' dawn demanding refunds. They couldn't care less about whether people who can afford to stay in the PPH support their cause or not. (An analysis only. Personally, I also think the community college idea is a winner. But that's just me.)
Originally Posted By bean I wonder if they know that the horn honking and high noise levels could be concieved as disturbance of the peace. The police could actually be called and cite them for that. There are ways of stating a point and disturbing guests is not the way. i donot know much about why they are picketing but i do know that most of the people in that union normally work 18 hour weeks and still get full medical benefits. I would like to know of any other company that still offers those kinds of benefits. This is also the only union that has been doing everything possible to meet with Disney officials. They even postponed meetings because they could not make up theri mind of the proper location for the meeting. This one union has been doing some very unprofessional things while most of the other unions have already signed contracts and have allowed their employees to continue on with their lives during these hard economic times.
Originally Posted By Gonzo I belong to that crappy union. I would tell you that a very large portion of the castmembers I work with are not with the union. If you look closely at many of the marchers you will notice that most are not even Disney Castmembers. They have been brought in by the Union to make a bigger group. This Union was the one that fought against Disney in the Soar/Low price housing thing in the city late last year. The Union president is trying to get herself a promotion.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt "I wonder if they know that the horn honking and high noise levels could be concieved as disturbance of the peace." I also wonder how many of those folks are actually cast members.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt "If you look closely at many of the marchers you will notice that most are not even Disney Castmembers. They have been brought in by the Union to make a bigger group." Well, you just answered my question.
Originally Posted By TINK-MOBILE Hi Hans , Tink-Mobile here....I do not know much of the union that represents the cast members that you speak of, unions are not a bad thing, they are a good thing, now there are many job sites where unions are not needed because the employers are very fair, good wages are paid ect..and the workers are generally very happy with their surroundings, some places though are very poor work places , now i don't want to name those places because it is not fair to them to do so, I will say though that we all need decent incomes to full fill the necessary needs of our families, now i do not advocate silly manouvers to gain public attention, i certainally believe that you should not in convienance the public in ways that really cast doubts on your goals, don't think though that the companies aren't playing the devils advocates here ethier, because they are, they are using the public also, both sides do, in my opinion , both sides should be acting in mature voice, if it is to be seen than only one side looks like they are fueling the fire, you can be rest assured the other side is just as responsible , I have been in a union for 37 years, with out unions everyone who have good paying jobs would be making minimum wages only no benefits, this is why many work places treat their workers great, and pay decent, because they do not want these types of hassels we see to-day, job security is one of the main ingredients of a union, where companies who otherwise would have the power to do so would turn their work forces into child labour camps, such as they do in Tawian, China , the phillipines ect, did you know the meal toys that we all have purchased are made in child labour camps in the phillipines and tawian...where children are expolited, some even die on the assembly lines, so not all unions are bad, while some are...i will agree with this, and if this union is using tactics that are not professional, their just reward will be measured in the same way....I hope this ends wisely and peaceablly for everyone, take care my friend....you raise many good points of which if i was in charge of this union.I certainally would be ensuring that these uncalled for tactics is indeed truly were been used would cease, it is important to be above these measures that you speak of, hopefully some one from both sides would read and learn from what has just been spoken of thru out this post...cheerfully yours from the tink-mobile
Originally Posted By TINK-MOBILE The Union is only as Good as the Membership, if the Membership sits on the fence so does the Union...United you Stand Divided you Fall...very simple math..my friend...
Originally Posted By Westsider I recently talked to two buddies who used to be in Attractions and are now Bellmen over at the Hotels. They think their Union Local 681 is a joke and the President of the union, Ada Briceno, is a total egomaniac who is trying to prove some bizarre point with her shenanigans during this negotiating process. There's a tiny group of housekeepers who are Ms. Briceno's personal groupies who think she walks on water. Then there's the other housekeepers who think the whole thing is just odd. Then there are the other departments also represented like Local 681 who find the whole thing disgusting to watch and can't stand Ms. Briceno and her political games. The Union keeps bussing in shop stewards and organizers from other hotels in Orange County to bolster the numbers at these noisy morning demonstrations that Ms. Briceno is organizing. The vast bulk of the Hotel CM's are embarassed and don't want to take part in Ms. Briceno's demonstrations because it upsets the guests and seems rather pointless. This is all union politics, mostly designed to make Ms. Briceno look good to her big bosses at union headquarters. Most Hotel CM's are rolling their eyes and wishing it would just all stop.
Originally Posted By Westsider I loved the "take-aways" that the union is all fired up about. Here's a quote from the 681 website trying to claim these are horrible things.... "Disney proposed many take-away’s including: Casual Regulars Classification: reducing benefits from workers that work thirty hours or less per week! A College Student Program: that includes no benefits for the students and scheduling them over more senior workers. Disney proposed to eliminate DUES DEDUCTION permanently. Disney also proposed to do drug and alcohol testing at their discretion." So, this boils down to the following; -If you don't work full time, you don't get full time health benefits. HOW DARE THEY! -Implement a College Program where college kids come in to work part-time seasonally. The kids don't get health insurance during their summer of work (what part time summer job for a 19 year old does?), and Disney guarantees the kids will get at least 25 hours per week while they work their seasonal gig. We have the College Program at the Park in Attractions, and it brings in good CM's who are smart, going to college, and are nice to be around. DISNEY WANTS TO ENCOURAGE UPPITY COLLEGE KIDS TO WORK A SUMMER JOB AT THE HOTEL! -When Ada Briceno refused to begin negotiations for several months, Disney stopped automatically taking out union dues from CM's paychecks every week and forwarding the money to union headquarters. This amused the CM's who got more money each week, and infuriated the union who lives off the CM's backs. Only when the stoppage of dues continued for a few months did Ms. Briceno agree to begin negotiations. And now it looks like Disney is proposing that the union find a way to collect their own dues longe term. UNION LEADERS NEED YOUR DUES MONEY TO LIVE OFF OF! YOU OWE THAT MONEY TO US! -Drug testing. Currently Disney does no drug testing, unlike other theme parks or major employers who hire service staff. If you aren't on drugs, you would have nothing to fear. As long as they don't test for day old Budweiser still in your system, I should be just fine. DISNEY WANTS TO TAKE AWAY YOUR UNION RIGHT TO DO ILLEGAL DRUGS BEFORE YOUR SHIFT! Besides the entire issue of the union airing these issues during a negotiations, which should be off limits, I think this pretty much sums up exactly what type of mindset Disney is dealing with here with Local 681 and Ada Briceno.
