Amidst the battle between Disney and Cast Members to receive fair pay, Senator Bernie Sanders chimed in today urging Disney to pay it’s workers a living wage.
Sanders took to Twitter to call out the fact that Disney gave a “$20 million golden parachute” to former CEO Bob Chapek and points out that Cast Members are “struggling to pay the rent & groceries”.
Earlier this month, 96% of 14,263 ballots cast by Cast Members voted to reject Disney’s “best and final offer” of $16 per hour now and $1 per hour increases over the next five years leading to $20 per hour. Cast Members represented by local unions say they need an increase from $15 to $18 per hour immediately, with further plans to raise wages to $20 per hour minimum guaranteed.
Cast Members protested in November against Disney’s reluctance to raise wages amid inflation concerns and the rise on cost of living in the Orlando area with signs that read “Full-time can’t buy diapers!” and “Full-time can’t buy formula!” among others. Cast Members asking for a larger, more immediate raise also cite financial distress that won’t be solved by long-term incremental increases.
You can check out our thoughts on the situation in the video below.
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