Stupid Guest Tricks

As I'm sure you might know, I recently transferred to Attractions from DL Park Food & Beverage.

This involved withdrawing my membership in the Park Food & Beverage Union (UNITE HERE) and becoming a member of the Attractions/Resort Transportation & Parking Union (Teamsters).

When I was approved for my transfer, I filled out the Teamsters membership form, as well as a new dues checkoff form. I also went down to the UNITE HERE office to inform them of the transfer and request that they cease taking dues from my paycheque.

Given I seemed to have done everything right, you might be wondering where the SCMT is.

Everything was going well until my first Paystub for November came. For whatever reason, it didn't show dues being taken out for the Teamsters, but rather for UNITE HERE .

Furthermore, when I checked with the Teamsters, it seemed that I somehow wasn't in their database of members, despite having filled out and submitted a membership form.

The Disneyland Park Master Services Contract (covering Attraction, Stores, Candy Maker, and Custodial Cast Members in Disneyland Park, as well as Main Entrance and Resort Transportation & Parking Cast Members resort-wide) has a Union Security clause in it, basically stating that you have to be a Union member to work at the DLR. As such, this would've meant quite a bit of trouble down the road if I hadn't caught it.

Fortunately, it's all been corrected now, and just seems to have been a minor blunder since Cast Transfers aren't all that common at the DLR compared to WDW, rather than anything intentional. However, you think they could be more careful .

Easy fix. Stay away from the Unions. Don't give them your hard earned money, and everyone will be better off. They are a prime example of SCMT.

Main_Street_Merch wrote:Easy fix. Stay away from the Unions.

Not an option at Disneyland. California isn't a "Right to Work" state like Florida; you *have* to join the union to work there, as he said:

glendalis wrote:The Disneyland Park Master Services Contract ... has a Union Security clause in it, basically stating that you have to be a Union member to work at the DLR.

If California was a "right-to-work" state (which apparently will be on the ballot at the next general-election), DLR Union Membership rates would collapse in on themselves. The few CMs who are strongly in favour of the DLR being a unionized workplace are mainly those who have been around for 20+ years and make nowhere near the starting rate.

Alas, we're not, and it is completely possible to lose your job for not being a Union Member in good standing.

That being said, the Attractions union seems to be much better, from what I have seen than the Union representing Park Food & Beverage. It's much more professional, as opposed to the sometimes childish antics that goes on in Foods.

glendalais wrote: That being said, the Attractions union seems to be much better, from what I have seen than the Union representing Park Food & Beverage. It's much more professional, as opposed to the sometimes childish antics that goes on in Foods.

You probably have more experience than me, since I only lasted there for 8 months before I realized that magic just wasn't putting food on the table, but the only experience I had with the union was them taking money out of my already meager paycheck, and sending me mail telling me who to vote for in the upcoming election.

The unions around the parks seem rather....impotent.

T

The funny thing is, the same thing happened AGAIN when I transferred to WDW. They continued taking Teamsters dues out of my paycheque, even though I was at a completely different resort in a Non-Union Classification.

This time was easier to fix though. Even Payroll can tell that I, as a Walt Disney World Resort Cast Member in Florida shouldn't be having dues deducted and sent to a Disneyland Resort Union in California.

As to the Union here, even though I'm currently ineligible for Union Membership, I've already decided that I'm staying far away from the F&B Union once I convert to CR. They're the same Union as Local 50 over at DLR (with all their antics), and the giant signs they have up in the areas proclaiming that they just came out of Trusteeship aren't helping...

As far as union dues go, you might want to check with your tax man. I'm 95% sure they are tax deductable.

I must say that the Unite Here local for WDW is far better in shape then the DLR version of it.. We had to "loan" them pretty close to a million dollars a year or so ago because they where about to fall apart on them selfs


The Doctor

darph nader wrote:As far as union dues go, you might want to check with your tax man. I'm 95% sure they are tax deductable.

Union Dues are deductible if you itemize. However, they are on the part of Schedule A with other miscellaneous deductions and there is a 2% of Adjusted Gross Income floor, so you can only deduct those Miscellaneous items where the total exceeds 2% of AGI.