Originally Posted By vbdad55 <You just agreed with me. MOST jobs are PART time and DO pay UNDER $10 an hour. I never said all. I said WDW has turned Orlando into a service economy and that isn't a good thing. All it takes is a terrorist attack or natural disaster(s) or recession and all those rooms will sit collecting dust and all those part-time CMs will be living in their cars or on the streets. < LDD - I absolutely agree with you on the holding Disney to Disney standards and have had my share of run ins with the Pollyana's also, but like you I love Disney and am invested heavily in them, financially and emotionally, both of which are important...sokeep on keeping on..so to speak. However with regards to Disney turning Orlando into a service economy -- surely Disney has had a hand in that, as has Universal, Sea World etc....however we all need to look at the bigger picture here. The US is turning very quickly into a massive service based economy- which is the exact house of cards you describe. I have worked in the corporate world for almost 30 years in mgmt positions and am stunned how many topmanufacturing companies in the US have turned into compannies where the vast majority of profit comes from 'services' -- consulting and maintenance type contracts make up so much of a companies profit, the manufacturing arms mean little to the bottom line. That is why companies like GM and Ford are dying.....GMAC is the money making arm of GM and it appears you will see that sold soon....We make little here any more...and even on Teddy Bears ( like the Vermont Teddy Bear line) - to hear them advertise as the only American made and designed teddy bears tells you something. In the past the US has been able to dig itself out of economic disasters thru manufacturing power...let's hope we don;t have to depend upon that again..China using 45% of the worlds concrete and steel should tell us something.. so the service economy should not be blamed on Disney, it is always the business they have been in....
Originally Posted By DVC_dad Instead of me posting a huge essay here let me skip to the end and just say that I don't shop at Walmart. And tho its very hard, I try my best to NOT buy anything made in China. Can you skip all the fluff that I would have had to write to get to this end?
Originally Posted By LuvDatDisney VBDAD55, I am with you on post 81 ... but Disney once was known as a place to make a career at ... a well-paying, earn your way up the ladder kind of place. That isn't the case anymore. They want 90% of their workforce to be part-timers with zero benefits. That has, along with Universal and Sea World, turned Orlando into a service economy. As to what's happening to the rest of the country ... that's just very sad.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip Yes, Disney has created a huge service economy in Orlando. At the same time, they have attracted a large number of people to Orlando who would have no qualifications for any other type of job. The cost of housing also reflects the relatively low wages. Although Orlando certainly has its upscale communities, it also has many areas where housing is available for less than 50% of what equivalent housing would cost in Minneapolis. My brother and his wife have lived in Orlando for the past 12 years, so I have a fairly good idea of what I’m talking about.
Originally Posted By LuvDatDisney "Instead of me posting a huge essay here let me skip to the end and just say that I don't shop at Walmart. And tho its very hard, I try my best to NOT buy anything made in China. Can you skip all the fluff that I would have had to write to get to this end?" Sure. It sounds like you're someone who understands the insidiousness of what's happening to our society. No need to say anymore.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <VBDAD55, I am with you on post 81 ... but Disney once was known as a place to make a career at ... a well-paying, earn your way up the ladder kind of place. That isn't the case anymore. They want 90% of their workforce to be part-timers with zero benefits< And I don;t disagree with that portion, what I am saying is that this is true most everywhere. traditional 'career paths' are gone....there is very little of this anywhere , where someone starts at the bottom and works their way up....Disney is just a microcosm of the corporate world around them, and the picture is not pretty. Maybe one day companies will again value their employees over only profit -- a trend that started in the ME times of the early 90's -- today frozen pensions ( or no pension plans at all - and you 'd be surprised at the companies where this is true) - limited or no benefits...and little chance for advancememnt as they really don't want you much past 5- 10 years is the way of the business world. If anyone is looking for more than that - small business is the only place to look.
