Switch to the mobile version of this page.

Bloggytown

        
Tweet

Email

Print
Share

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Bloggytown

Walt Disney World raises prices, but not wages

Posted By Erin Sullivan on Thu, Feb 27, 2014 at 5:45 PM

By now you have surely heard that Walt Disney World has jacked the price (again) for tickets to the Magic Kingdom. A day at the park will now cost you $99, and the Orlando Sentinel's Beth Kassab has feelings about what that means for locals, which she included in her column posted last night. This price increase comes a year after the park raised prices last year to $95 per person. If you're paying $90+ for a day at a theme park, that extra $4 probably won't break you, but still.

But less widely reported today is the news that hundreds of Disney employees – housekeepers, ride operators, restaurant workers – rallied at a hotel near the park a couple of days ago to demand a better labor contract for unionized workers, many of whom make less than $10 per hour and struggle to make ends meet. Disney insisted that most of the workers who make the lower wages are only working part-time, and that many of Disney's unionized employees have chosen to work for the park for 10 years or more. So basically, if things were so bad for Disney employees, why aren't they quitting?

Union reps point out that the Disney Co. posted increased profits at the end of 2013, and the New York Times reported that a lot of the company's theme-park growth came from higher guest spending at the Orlando parks. So, to celebrate that victory, Disney is raising prices again this year while fighting the union on its request for a pay raise.

Happiest place on earth!

We posted this chart last year listing the park's ticket prices from the year of its opening through 2013.

click to enlarge

Tags: Unions, walt disney world, wdw, theme parks, labor, Image

We welcome readers to submit letters regarding articles and content in Orlando Weekly. Letters should be a minimum of 150 words, refer to content that has appeared on Orlando Weekly, and must include the writer's full name, address, and phone number for verification purposes. No attachments will be considered. Writers of letters selected for publication will be notified via email. Letters may be edited and shortened for space.

Email us at feedback@orlandoweekly.com.

Orlando Weekly works for you, and your support is essential.

Our small but mighty local team works tirelessly to bring you high-quality, uncensored news and cultural coverage of Central Florida.

Unlike many newspapers, ours is free – and we'd like to keep it that way, because we believe, now more than ever, everyone deserves access to accurate, independent coverage of their community.

Whether it's a one-time acknowledgement of this article or an ongoing pledge, your support helps keep Orlando’s true free press free.

« Affordable Care Act finally trickle… | OW Oscarama -- Check the gate and t… »

More Blogs »