An Open Letter to Mickey Mouse from a former CM

[TXDeb]

I was sent this letter in an e-mail. It was written by a former CM. The name has been removed to protect the identity of the writer.

An Open letter to Mickey Mouse....
SHAME, SHAME ON YOU MICKEY MOUSE

It's supposed to be a 'family company'--at least, that's how Walt saw
it when he put the company together these many years ago. A company
that produced films for families--and later, one that produced an
amusement park where, as Walt himself put it, "The entire family
could go to have fun!"

What went wrong?

For many years, Disney cast members were taught to think of
themselves as part of the Disney 'family'. Sure, wages were low, but
the company offered many opportunities for advancement--and a good
benefits package. It was a good place to work. A place where people
were happy--both the workers and those who were guests in the parks.

We were proud to be cast members, and we were always willing to work
extra hours when asked--even when they interfered with other plans--
and our own family time.

After all, we were all part of a larger family--the Disney family--
and that larger family would remember our sacrifices, take them into
account, to our credit...

We were so naive--and we are paying for it now.

The Disney 'family', that wonderful, larger group who was going to
take care of us as we took care of it has changed. No longer do they
care about the guest's experience. No longer do they care about the
beauty and grooming of the Resort.

No longer do they care about us.

Now, with tourist dollars dwindling and Disney stock plummeting, the
Disney 'family' has shown it's true colors. It's a time of crisis--
and Disney is thinking of the bottom line first, last, and always.

'Cast Members' that were loyal in the past are being 'cast' aside by
a management that no longer cares about anything but their bonuses
and stock options. Men and women who stood with the company through
thick and thin are being told that their hours will be cut--forcing
them to work six days a week to earn what had been a normal week's
pay. Others are told that they will no longer be needed, that their
jobs will be taken by part-time workers--workers who get no health or
retirement benefits.

The 'Traditions' class, once an important way of teaching new workers
about the 'Disney difference' has been cut from two days to one--and
the company loyalty spoken of in those classes has been shown to be a
sham.

Disney's loyalty has been shown to be to one thing and one thing only-
-the almighty dollar.

It all started with a Mouse--and now it is all ending in the cheesy
grins and self-aggrandizement of the management that has acted so
heartlessly.

Walt must be spinning in his grave!

 

[Planogirl]

Sigh... I continue to really feel bad for the CM's. How in the world can they keep their morale up in this environment?

 

[Dizzy4Dizney]

What went wrong????? The economy going south didn't help. Not to make
you feel bad but lots of people lost jobs across all industries and the country. DH is
self employed and has little work in the past 4 months, with no unemployment benefits.

The country is going through a tough time for the past year. Keep your hopes up, it
will get better once this War on Terrorism is under control and hopefully the econmy will
pick up mid-next year.

One other thing, Disney is a huge corporation. Like it or not, it has responsiblities to
the stock holders (myself included). The pitfalls of capitalism I guess but nothing is
perfect.

 

[Snowgod]

Everywhere I look there are people losing their jobs. My DD is down to one shift a week. My DW is forced to work extra hours becuse of a hiring freeze. There is more involved than just WDW and The Disney corporation.

 

[CapHook]

I think a lot of things addressed in this letter have nothing to do with the events of September and October. Is the Disney reaction to the crisis reasonable? Maybe. But with the recent history of mistrust between Disney and the people who are represented by this letter, I can see why they don't trust the Disney reaction to the crisis.

 

[dopey2]

Pretty much everything in the letter is the same thing a lot of my co-workers are saying about the company I work for. I think it is a sign of the times that will hopefully get better in the future. I still look forward to my trips to WDW even if there is no EE and the parks close early.

 

[hopemax]

One other thing, Disney is a huge corporation. Like it or not, it has responsiblities to the stock holders (myself included). The pitfalls of capitalism I guess but nothing is
perfect.

But what does this mean? Does it mean that the shareholders get the end of the quarter profit results that they want to see by performing actions that result in thousands of customers stop buying the products?

Like I said in another thread. Anyone can survive without Disney. It may take a little getting used to, and it may be very disappointing but it's not like there isn't any other entertainment or vacation choices out there. How well can the shareholders survive without the Company having customers?

 

[ttreb4]

hi all
why all the doom and gloom dont be down we are not in the uk , im sure that all the fellow brits feel the same way about wdw as me and nothing on this earth will stop me doing what i want when i want and that feels to me the attitude here in the uk .
I can say with my hand on my heart that i will never stop comming to wdw as long as my legs will carry me (even if they wont i can hire an electric cart for $20)

regards

tony
inkbounc