“Shameful”: Critics Slam Disney as Cast Members Speak Out About “Starvation Wages”

After months of negotiations that ended up with the Walt Disney World Resort Cast Member union rejecting Disney’s offer, it’s certainly no longer new to any Disney Fanatic that many consider the Walt Disney Company’s treatment of Cast Members not up to par in the least. With news of Disney Cast Members sleeping in their cars and their current living conditions, more fans and critics of the Mouse House have been speaking out against the lack of proper compensation and wages for their work, especially in light of news like how much Disney CEO Bob Iger spends on his personal security.

The latest in this vein is that prominent Democrat Bernie Sanders, who has previously been vocal in his opposition of the Walt Disney Company in this regard, spoke out about this issue again. In a video he shared on TikTok, which Sanders titled “Starvation Wages at ‘The Happiest Place on Earth,'” features interviews with Disney Park Cast Members who are fighting for Disney to raise their wages.

@bernie

In my view, if Disney can afford to compensate its CEO to the tune of $27 million, it should not be paying the workers who run their theme parks so little that they are sleeping in their cars, relying on food banks, and unable to afford to get the health care they need.

♬ original sound – Bernie Sanders

The video details that “Disney workers are sleeping in their cars and relying on food banks just to survive.” Melanie Paradiso, a custodial at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, shared that she saw fellow Cast Members at Walt Disney World Resort getting ready to tuck into their cars for the night, following it up with asking, “why is this okay?”

Sanders captioned the post, “In my view, if Disney can afford to compensate its CEO to the tune of $27 million, it should not be paying the workers who run their theme parks so little that they are sleeping in their cars, relying on food banks, and unable to afford to get the health care they need.”

In the comments, Disney fans largely supported Sanders’s stance, sharing that the situation was “absolutely shameful,” and that Disney Cast Members “all need to strike. Refuse to work for a day and let Disney lose a million dollars.”

Disney’s believed that they offered the Cast Members union “a strong and meaningful offer” and were unhappy at the rejection of its offer. At present, it seems that the Disney World Cast Members union and Disney are at an impasse. Here’s looking forward to Cast Members being able to earn a living wage considering they are the heart of the Disney experience.