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Actors' Equity Association News: Actors' Equity members who work under the Walt Disney World contract have voted to ratify a new five-year agreement. The contract will expire on September 9, 2017 and provides retroactivity to September 16, 2012.
8 comments:
Timothy S.
said...
This is actually a really interesting article (despite its brevity). I have known a few actors that have worked with Disney and they said the one thing that was difficult about Disney was working with a different contract with a difference in wages and hours. And while the pay for a entry level position within the company is not always the highest, it is by far on of the more rewarding jobs anyone could have. I am so happy to see that actors and technicians that do what they love for a living are making even more money from a company that creates a great working environment for it's casts members.
Albeit the short article, I went back and read through the Walt Disney World agreement specifically looking for these changes and how they affect the Performer's life. A quick note - none of these apply to stage managers, as they are largely non-union and, if they are union, it's an IATSE position.
Disney operates on a set of contracts, from seasonal to full-time, each one hourly (none salaried). So, the boosts to hourly pay are significantly beneficial to performers. The performance time and day limits we normally see in the agreement (8 shows a week) is listed in a large performer's matrix in the agreement by show. So, the addition of out-of-unit subs one day per role (essentially a day of Paid Time Off per character, which still applies to the performer's matrix for the week) is probably a pleasant bonus. It looks like the only concession made by the Union was that performers taking an Early Release on a day (going home mid-performance day) would be paid for their performances worked only, rather than the whole day, which doesn't really feel like a concession on an hourly pay system. It looks like Equity negotiated very successfully with Disney, and locking in a five-year plan of salary increases is definitely a good thing.
I like that Brian points out the fact that none of this applies to the stage managers of Disney. I did not catch that and that is very good to know.
I have met several people that have performed at Walt Disney World and they have never complained about these conditions to me. I have only ever heard good things about DIsney World and I have heard that it is a great place to work for a little well. I've been told that they treat their performers really well. It's eye opening to read this article and I think that Disney is making a step in the right direction by negotiating with Equity and I'm am glad to see that these steps are indeed being taken.
It's great to see that the union had some victories in this situation. As much as I love Disney, I have heard more than a few complaints about the way some of their workers are treated. It's not like they don't have the money to give these pay increases, so why shouldn't they? Disney performers work hard, often under tough conditions (i.e. outdoor performances) and they deserve compensation equivalent to that of other Equity performers. It's also great to see the improvements in the areas of fight and stunt safety. Safety should ultimately be the number one priority when it comes to live performance- no show is worth someone's life.
Thank you, Brian, for pointing that out about Disney Stage Managers. I did not know that those sorts of SM positions can be filled by IATSE workers.
Wow lots of articles about unions this week. Its good to see the unions standing firm, especially with Disney. As Disney's octopus like empire grows consuming everything in its path, even such great things as Starwars, its amazing that at least equity can stand firm and ensure fair pay and other things for their members. Although as mentioned in other comments this does not really apply to the technical end, as one group goes so can others. They set a shining example to all people in the business. Im just impressed that anyone can still stand up to their army of lawyers and get away with it.
Fist, "As Disney's octopus like empire grows consuming everything in its path, even such great things as Starwars, its amazing that at least equity can stand firm and ensure fair pay and other things for their members." - Lol, but true
I find it interesting that every article I read about union negotiations starts with the employer trying to make cuts across the board. Is this how these companies need to operate, even when they have the resources to maintain existing contracts, in order to not have the unions get too much? I wonder what would happen if Disney walked into this saying, "Ok, we can maintain what you have now, and can accept minor additions." Would the result be the same, or would the union get a lot more? If the result was the same, then the costs passed onto the union members in the form of dues would be a lot less. Negotiating in general is interesting, and I am now interested in researching more about it.
I found it interesting that things like Stunt Captains and safety checks of stunt equipment were not included in the Disney Contract. You would think that with the kinds of shows Disney puts on, there would be a contracted Stunt Captain. I also find it interesting that the language of raked stages is only now being changed to "inclined playing spaces." I was under the impression that that language had been updated a while ago. I wonder when the last time the Disney contract was renegotiated this much was. I also wonder what kind of changes were made in the last renegotiation if these changes are happening now.
Although I typically appreciate brevity when it comes to articles I wish that this one provided more information about what had happened before they came to this conclusion. I do agree that it is interesting that none of these changes apply to stage managers. I am glad however that the performers were able to stand their ground even after Disney wanted to rollback almost every area.
8 comments:
This is actually a really interesting article (despite its brevity). I have known a few actors that have worked with Disney and they said the one thing that was difficult about Disney was working with a different contract with a difference in wages and hours. And while the pay for a entry level position within the company is not always the highest, it is by far on of the more rewarding jobs anyone could have. I am so happy to see that actors and technicians that do what they love for a living are making even more money from a company that creates a great working environment for it's casts members.
Albeit the short article, I went back and read through the Walt Disney World agreement specifically looking for these changes and how they affect the Performer's life. A quick note - none of these apply to stage managers, as they are largely non-union and, if they are union, it's an IATSE position.
Disney operates on a set of contracts, from seasonal to full-time, each one hourly (none salaried). So, the boosts to hourly pay are significantly beneficial to performers. The performance time and day limits we normally see in the agreement (8 shows a week) is listed in a large performer's matrix in the agreement by show. So, the addition of out-of-unit subs one day per role (essentially a day of Paid Time Off per character, which still applies to the performer's matrix for the week) is probably a pleasant bonus. It looks like the only concession made by the Union was that performers taking an Early Release on a day (going home mid-performance day) would be paid for their performances worked only, rather than the whole day, which doesn't really feel like a concession on an hourly pay system. It looks like Equity negotiated very successfully with Disney, and locking in a five-year plan of salary increases is definitely a good thing.
I like that Brian points out the fact that none of this applies to the stage managers of Disney. I did not catch that and that is very good to know.
I have met several people that have performed at Walt Disney World and they have never complained about these conditions to me. I have only ever heard good things about DIsney World and I have heard that it is a great place to work for a little well. I've been told that they treat their performers really well. It's eye opening to read this article and I think that Disney is making a step in the right direction by negotiating with Equity and I'm am glad to see that these steps are indeed being taken.
It's great to see that the union had some victories in this situation. As much as I love Disney, I have heard more than a few complaints about the way some of their workers are treated. It's not like they don't have the money to give these pay increases, so why shouldn't they? Disney performers work hard, often under tough conditions (i.e. outdoor performances) and they deserve compensation equivalent to that of other Equity performers. It's also great to see the improvements in the areas of fight and stunt safety. Safety should ultimately be the number one priority when it comes to live performance- no show is worth someone's life.
Thank you, Brian, for pointing that out about Disney Stage Managers. I did not know that those sorts of SM positions can be filled by IATSE workers.
Wow lots of articles about unions this week. Its good to see the unions standing firm, especially with Disney. As Disney's octopus like empire grows consuming everything in its path, even such great things as Starwars, its amazing that at least equity can stand firm and ensure fair pay and other things for their members. Although as mentioned in other comments this does not really apply to the technical end, as one group goes so can others. They set a shining example to all people in the business. Im just impressed that anyone can still stand up to their army of lawyers and get away with it.
Fist, "As Disney's octopus like empire grows consuming everything in its path, even such great things as Starwars, its amazing that at least equity can stand firm and ensure fair pay and other things for their members." - Lol, but true
I find it interesting that every article I read about union negotiations starts with the employer trying to make cuts across the board. Is this how these companies need to operate, even when they have the resources to maintain existing contracts, in order to not have the unions get too much? I wonder what would happen if Disney walked into this saying, "Ok, we can maintain what you have now, and can accept minor additions." Would the result be the same, or would the union get a lot more? If the result was the same, then the costs passed onto the union members in the form of dues would be a lot less. Negotiating in general is interesting, and I am now interested in researching more about it.
I found it interesting that things like Stunt Captains and safety checks of stunt equipment were not included in the Disney Contract. You would think that with the kinds of shows Disney puts on, there would be a contracted Stunt Captain. I also find it interesting that the language of raked stages is only now being changed to "inclined playing spaces." I was under the impression that that language had been updated a while ago. I wonder when the last time the Disney contract was renegotiated this much was. I also wonder what kind of changes were made in the last renegotiation if these changes are happening now.
Although I typically appreciate brevity when it comes to articles I wish that this one provided more information about what had happened before they came to this conclusion. I do agree that it is interesting that none of these changes apply to stage managers. I am glad however that the performers were able to stand their ground even after Disney wanted to rollback almost every area.
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