Save DRC

[dktc0821]

well the Union was voted down 30% for and 70% against. A big problem with the way the Carpenter's Union campaigned was that they directed all of their materials towards the DRC Cast. They pretty much ignored the rest of us. The problem with that was that there were 3400 eligible to vote O&T CMs. Only 1100 worked at DRC. Granted they were the lagest concentration of O&T but they aren't even a third of the O&T Cast. Alot of areas voted against the Union because they felt the Union wouldn't do them any good and they weren't big on voting for a Union that didn't even pay attention to them at all anyway. Its the same thing they did 3 years ago in the original vote.

[GMC]

i want your job, i think, but without the quota.

[thrillriderbabs]

well the Union was voted down 30% for and 70% against. A big problem with the way the Carpenter's Union campaigned was that they directed all of their materials towards the DRC Cast. They pretty much ignored the rest of us. The problem with that was that there were 3400 eligible to vote O&T CMs. Only 1100 worked at DRC. Granted they were the lagest concentration of O&T but they aren't even a third of the O&T Cast. Alot of areas voted against the Union because they felt the Union wouldn't do them any good and they weren't big on voting for a Union that didn't even pay attention to them at all anyway. Its the same thing they did 3 years ago in the original vote.

Well then it shows how no one cares about DRC and the cast there. Everyone else in the company looks at DRC as the stepchild of Disney and that why should they give any care in the world about it because it doesn't affect them. At DRC you are a number and that is it, a number with a quota who is very very very replacable regardless of the reason. The rest of O&T don't have to worry about the whole quota hangin over your job and head everyday so why would they vote for the union. They like things the way they have it and won't change and don't care about how the rest of the staff feels but hey that's unfortunately the way the world works, thinkin about themselves before anyone else. Funny how that works isn't it!!! Also DRC is the backbone of this company and without it the company would fail. Simply due to the fact that they book all resorts on and off property, sell tickets in advance, book packages and so forth therefore keeping revenue coming into the company but this is the way they are treated like junk!!! I feel sorry for anyone who is still working at DRC period simply because it's the worst place in the company to be working. Just try and keep a smile on your face and a ray of sunshine will peek through and clear up the dark clouds above those buildings hopefully someday!!! :twisted:

[coldfire409]

When I worked for Disney I've seen the union start to change. It went from a "company union" to one for change. At WDW the problem is that with Florida being a right to work state many people simply do not want to join, but they expect the stewards to jump at their problems, even when the company is right.

Case in point I had somebody I worked with before I quit pick a PM shift and they wanted me to file a grievance becaue they were closing.

However as an attorney I do belong to a union of sorts. The American and Florida Bar Association. Since you have to be licenced through them even in a right to work state you will pay your dues. The ABA does protect us by allowing a check an balance on how judges act in the courtroom. A judge, despite how they are betrayed in television, cannot act as they wish in a courtroom, and they cannot just hold people in contempt when they decide they do not like the person.

Somebody once told me that a union is a sign of bad management. I think that my be true.

[lady ulrike]

Hey, I have a question. I don't remember who said it and I'm too lazy to go back and look, but someone said that there's no extension and the call is answered at random. My question is, can the guest calling ask for a particular operator?? Like, they dealt with them before and want to deal with that particular one again.

[BirdMom]

Somebody once told me that a union is a sign of bad management. I think that my be true.

Coldfire, I don't believe that to be true. In a world that is swinging back toward the 19th century robber baron modus operandi for corporate think, where the only thing that matters to management is the bottom line, I believe unions are necessary to prevent companies from exploiting honest, hardworking people who are loyal and willing to do what it takes for their earned rate. Unions prevent companies from subjecting these honest people to slave wages.

In a perfect world, everyone would be treated like a star the way some of the tech companies in Silicon Valley treated their employees before the dot-com bubble burst. In all honesty, how many companies would willingly treat all their employees in such a generous manner if they weren't forced to do so by statutes or by collective bargaining?

I don't understand why so many people in this country are unwilling to have a sense of collective responsibility and respect for all the other people here. There's this odd model of thinking that if someone is poor, it is their own damn fault. It's almost as if they think that "I've got mine, screw you, find your own way, and if you can't, too bad." So many social problems - crime, substance abuse, homelessness - have a lack of economic opportunity and educational opportunity at their root. Why are people so unwilling to give those in need a hand up - not so much a hand out, but a hand up? It boggles the mind. It always shocks me when I talk to people who seem to be perfectly nice in most respects, who feel that they have no responsibility to their fellow man for anything. I was always taught that we have two hands for a reason - the first is to help yourself, the other is to help your neighbor in need. I may come off snarky and cynical at times, but I believe that we are all in this together and that we have a responsibility to work together so that everyone is taken care of, and that includes supporting unions so that those people who weren't fortunate enough to be born into ideal circumstances are justly compensated for their skills and hard work.

[Jennly]

Oh man...

I hate to hear this happening to DRC, I was there in 2001 - 2003 when I was in college in Orlando and then again 2004 - 2005 (by necessity not choice when I moved to Tampa). So basically pre "Future State" and post. I do not like the way that DRC is heading, you simply can NOT make a sale on every call and it's asinine for the company to think that you can. The pressure that is being put on the DRC Cast to perfom at a rate that is simply not rational is most likey the major blame for the screw ups and mis quotes and mis books. When I was at DRC post Future State I was in Guest Services and the stress level created by the fervor the company has created to drive sales was very hard to take day in and day out 60 hours a week (mandatory OT and all that). All I can say is that I am so glad that I am not with disney anymore there is life after disneyworld and it pays $2 more an hour and if I don't make my bonus I am not fired... it is just not money that I earned that month. Grim and anyone else if you find yourself in need of another job, I will gladly reccommend my job. I still get yelled at on a daily basis, I am in collections now so it comes with the territory. The atmosphere of the company and the employees however blow disney away any day.



JT ex CM 88 - 05 :barf:

[PirateJohn]

Coldfire, I don't believe that to be true. ... Unions prevent companies from subjecting these honest people to slave wages.

Well, isn't that what is meant by bad management?

I've read Upton Sinclair, so I know the history of how labor unions and why they can be necessary. But at the same time, there are an awful lot of facets of unions that I don't agree with.

First of all, I don't really agree with everything being based on seniority. To be sure, it is good to reward loyalty and longevity, but at the same time, there is no incentive for superior work. Sure, there are Spirit Awards and such, but someone who has been in a place for, say, twelve months and continually busts his butt day in and day out should get more consideration for shifts and hours than someone who has been there for eighteen months and barely meets the minimum requirements.

Another thing that bothers me is when people on both sides become very inflexible with regards to what is in the contract. I've had leads afraid to ask me to hand them a clipboard when I'm off the clock because they're afraid it's tantamount to asking me to work beyond my scheduled shift. It's a culture shock to me, coming from six years of the Air Force.

And my biggest pet peeve is that it is far too difficult to get rid of employees that are clearly not pulling their weight. I have a few (not many, fortunately, but a few) co-workers who are notorious for their laziness. But it's virtually impossible to fire them because they're protected by the union. The only way to get rid of them is to start a lengthy paper trail, and that takes time. Meanwhile, their co-workers must constantly do extra work to make up for their poor work ethic.

[wheelieman]

I'm glad you had a good experience with the CWA. I worked for Pac Bell on the SF peninsula for eleven years. All of our union leaders were a bunch of drunks. Whenever you needed one you could always find them in a bar in Mountain View.

Yeah, hobie16, when we moved to Minnesota for 11 years, we had a really crappy local. I became a steward right away when we got there. There was going to be a possibility of layoffs, and they would take place by seniority. The lowest go first, and it covered the whole FAR, or Region. The company and the local each had a copy of the Regional seniority list, and I wanted them to post it so that people in the office would at least have an idea of where they were on the seniority list. The local President told me no in front of management, because since the list might change slightly, due to attrition and the like, it might "scare" the employees into thinking they were going to be laid off. My opinion was, the employees know that BOTH of you [management and local] have this list, and you don't think they are mature enough to see it. That really sucks. Right after that meeting I resigned as a steward. That's when I realized that you had to think of the Union as a whole, and count on the National to bargain a good contract.

Also, as far as seniority not mattering, Pirate John, IMHO Bull HUNKY! Lazy people will get fired, it just might not happen as quickly as others would like. When I started working for AT&T, I went through about the first 10 years working the worst shifts you could imagine, other than 48 hours straight, that I grant you. My first Christmas Eve, I had to work 9PM till 3AM then be back to work at Christmas day 645AM till 1015am, then leave until 215pm, and work again until 645pm. I had to work shifts like that for a LOOOONG time. I EARNED the right to work better hours than the newbies after 18 years. And there were still people there that had way more service than I had that could get any hours they want, one lady had worked for Ma Bell for 45 years. With the attendance policy, which allows you 3 occurrances [such as a tardy, or absence] per YEAR before you were put on warning, "two more out the door" as we used to say. The pay and the benefits made it a job worth caring about. I started at just above minimum wage and ended up making $23 an hour. Not bad for no physical labor, and just a high school diploma. Being the only straight guy in an office of 150 women was a good benefit too. ] that I could ride my bike to DL during my split shifts. So, in conclusion, Unions good.

[grimgrinningghost]

i want your job, i think, but without the quota.

me too. *sigh* job hunting now. open to suggestions.