Prominent Politician Calls Out “Lousy” CEO Bob Chapek’s $20 Million Payout

It’s no secret that some of the hardest-working people at Disney are the Cast Members who work at the theme parks. Every day, those Cast Members give it their all to make sure everyone has a magical vacation. While most Guests appreciate the Cast Members, there are always angry and entitled Guests who treat those same Cast Members poorly. A lot of people might also agree that Cast Members do not get paid enough to deal with everything they have to on a daily basis.

Recently, The Walt Disney Company and a union representing Cast Members who work at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida have been struggling to come to an agreement on acceptable wages. The union represents approximately 45,000 Cast Members. Disney has stated it will raise all Cast Members’ wages to $15 per hour, and those wages will increase by $1 per year, until everyone is paid at least $20 per hour. The union, on the other hand, wants Disney to have wages starting at $18 per hour.

Disney has seen its profits soar recently, so the company is being called out on its refusal to raise wages for the people who need it the most. Meanwhile, executives at the company are making millions of dollars per year. One of the people calling Disney out is Bernie Sanders — a Senator from Vermont who is known for fighting against corporate greed.

On February 21, Sanders tweeted:

If Disney can afford to give a $20 million golden parachute last year to a CEO who did a lousy job, it can afford to pay Disney World Cast Members who are struggling to pay the rent & groceries a minimum wage of at least $18/hour. I say to Disney: Pay your workers a living wage.

If Disney can afford to give a $20 million golden parachute last year to a CEO who did a lousy job, it can afford to pay Disney World Cast Members who are struggling to pay the rent & groceries a minimum wage of at least $18/hour. I say to Disney: Pay your workers a living wage.

— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) February 22, 2023

While his tweet does not name names, it is clear that Sanders is referring to now-fired CEO, Bob Chapek. In Chapek’s less-than-three-years as Disney CEO, the company saw its stock tank, prices at the Parks skyrocket, and Guest satisfaction fall to an all-time low, all while Chapek collected millions of dollars and purchased a multi-million dollar mansion. Chapek was ousted in November 2022 and former CEO Bob Iger was brought back in to take his place.

After he was fired, it was revealed that Disney had paid Chapek an additional $20 million as part of his severance. That angered a lot of Cast Members — they were (and still are) struggling to pay their bills while someone who tanked the company walked away with millions.

Negotiations between the Cast Member union and Disney are still ongoing. Union members rejected Disney’s latest offer, claiming that Disney refused to negotiate a pay increase. Disney said that they offered the Cast Members a fair deal. While all of this is going on, Disney’s biggest competitor, Universal, has announced that all Team Members will soon have a starting pay of $17 per hour.