Flashback: California's Disneyland wasn't happiest place on earth for employees
A study by Economic Roundtable revealed in 2018 that nearly 75% of Disneyland workers did not earn enough money to cover basic monthly expenses.
A study by Economic Roundtable revealed in 2018 that nearly 75% of the 30,000 California Disneyland workers did not earn enough money to cover basic monthly expenses. As a result, employees reported "high instances of homelessness, food insecurity, ever-shifting work schedules, extra-long commutes, and low wages," according to the study.
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The average hourly wage for workers dropped 15% from $15.80 to $13.36 between 2000 and 2017. More than 50% of survey respondents worried about possible eviction.
It wasn't until 2018 that Disneyland agreed to increase their employees' wages, raising their average hourly wage to $15.45. But it still wasn't enough to cover basic monthly expenses for employees, according to the study.
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Some Disneyland employees, however, received paychecks with an average hourly wage as low as $11 an hour in 2018.
"After 11 years at the resort, I make $12.02 as my base wage. Why should I drive 30 miles on the 91 and 5 freeways, almost always in heavy traffic, to earn a minimum wage?" said a full-time merchandise host and employee of 11 years in the study.
Anaheim, CA USA - September 3, 2015: Disneyland 60th celebration castle with people This year Disneyland celebrates its 60th aniversary of been open. On this day the park celebrated with fireworks and over 150 thousand people. People are exiting the (iStock)
More than two-thirds of the respondents stated they were food insecure as a result of not having reliable access to affordable food, with 76% of employees with children saying they were food insecure.
The ever-changing hours and work schedules were hurdles for Disney employees struggling to get by paycheck-to-paycheck.
59% of employees with families reported that the changing schedules made it difficult for them to care for their own families, while 64% stated they could not fit in a second job due to the schedules.
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"Disney has become a nightmare to work for. The long hours, lack of livable wages, and zero respect has got to stop," said one full-time employee at the time.
Disneyland has recently been the brunt of criticism for several weeks following CEO's Bob Chapek's denouncement of the Florida education bill.
FILE - In this Sept. 11, 2015, file photo, Disney chief executive Bob Chapek speaks during a ceremony at Hong Kong Disneyland. Disney's 2021 second-quarter revenue dropped as the pandemic continued to weigh on its parks and theme parks. But net incom ((AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File) / AP Newsroom)
Disney has also been taking some heat since its announcement of gender-neutral greetings at parks.
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Parents across the nation have begun to speak out against Disney's woke agenda by canceling their Disney+ subscriptions and calling for the end of Disney indoctrination.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to reflect the year of the survey cited.