Tag: disneyland
Disney heiress Abigail Disney says she was ‘livid’ about worker conditions at theme park after going undercover
Walt Disney Co. heiress Abigail Disney Opens a New Window. said “The Happiest Place on Earth” isn’t bringing joy to theme park employees.
Disney revealed to Yahoo! News’ “Through Her Eyes” Opens a New Window. that she recently went undercover to Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., and was left “livid” after seeing the conditions employees endured. The heiress said she decided to conduct her own investigation after a distressed worker contacted her on Facebook.
“Every single one of these people I talked to were saying, ‘I don’t know how I can maintain this face of joy and warmth when I have to go home and forage for food in other people’s garbage,’” she told Yahoo! News in an interview published Monday.
“I was so livid when I came out of there because, you know, my grandfather taught me to revere these people that take your tickets, that pour your soda,” Disney added. “Those people are much of the recipe for success.”
Disney, who does not have an active role in the company, then directed her criticism toward Bob Iger, saying the Disney CEO isn’t doing enough to help the company’s employees.
“Bob needs to understand he’s an employee, just the same as the people scrubbing gum off the sidewalk are employees,” the heiress said. “And they’re entitled to all the same dignity and human rights that he is.”
Disney’s comments came the same day Bloomberg Opens a New Window. reported the theme park was tracking guests through its smartphone apps and electronic wristband MagicBand. Theme park officials can then see which rides attendees prefer and what TV and film merchandise is flying off the shelves.
In April, Disney made headlines when she wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post slamming Iger for his $65.6 million salary. The CEO earned 1,424 times more than the median Disney employee last year, according to a study by Equilar. The company has faced criticism in recent years over its pay policies at Disneyland and other theme parks.
“The system is the problem, and the people inside of the system who are perfectly comfortable with the system are the problem,” the philanthropist and filmmaker said in Monday’s interview. “I don’t think any president of the United States has as much power as some CEOs in this country.”
A Disney spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News on Monday that the company, under Iger’s leadership, has made an initial commitment of $150 million to fund its Disney Aspire initiative for the first five years. The program, which Disney plans to continue investing in in the future, is aimed at providing employees the opportunity to pursue higher education.
“Disney is at the forefront of providing workforce education, which is widely recognized as the best way to create economic opportunity for employees and empower upward mobility,” the statement read. “Our Disney Aspire initiative is the most comprehensive employee education program in the country, covering 100 percent of all tuition costs, books and fees so our hourly workers can pursue higher education free of charge, and graduate free of debt.”
“Disney also provides flexible schedules and subsidized childcare to make it easier for employees to take advantage of this opportunity–and we’re proud that more than 40 percent of our 88,000-plus hourly employees have already signed up to participate,” the spokesperson added. “American workers need meaningful change; they deserve smart policies and practical programs, like Disney Aspire, that empower them to achieve their goals and ensure they are part of the most competitive workforce in the world.”
Abigail Disney joined more than a dozen billionaires last month urging lawmakers to raise their taxes Opens a New Window. . The billionaires penned a letter addressed to 2020 presidential candidates asking them to support “a moderate wealth tax” on billionaires to fund projects addressing issues such as clean energy, infrastructure and healthcare.
Disney said she signed the letter because she has “more than enough” money.
“And if you’ve got $1 billion, there’s not a thing on this earth you can’t afford,” Disney said.
Article via FoxBusiness
Disneyland tower likely source of 22 cases of Legionnaires’ disease, official testifies
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A health official testified that a cooling tower that provides mist to make Disneyland visitors comfortable was the likely source for 22 cases in a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak last year near the theme park.
Dr. Matthew Zahn with the Orange County Health Care Agency testified Tuesday before an appeals board judge at the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
The Los Angeles Times reports Zahn said tests around the time of the outbreak showed high levels of Legionella bacteria in two Disneyland cooling towers.
He said contaminated droplets likely spread to people in the park and beyond.
Disneyland is appealing state fines, saying the outbreak’s source was not scientifically determined.
Upon questioning, Zahn said he could not be 100 percent certain that Disneyland was the source without additional testing.
Article via USAToday
Disney theme parks confirm long-running urban legend is true
Some people enjoy Disney World and Disneyland so much that they never leave.
Despite years of denials from the House of Mouse, an urban legend has been confirmed: Human ashes are regularly scattered at the theme parks.
Loved ones of the recently deceased are known to place the remains on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, the Dumbo ride, near Cinderella’s castle — pretty much everywhere, according to a new report in the Wall Street Journal. It happens about once a month, often enough that custodians know to call for a “HEPA cleanup” with a special vacuum cleaner when it does.
The most popular place for people to spread ashes? “The Haunted Mansion probably has so much human ashes in it that it’s not even funny,” an unnamed custodian told the newspaper.
One employee said she and her co-workers got in trouble for referring to such incidents as “Code Grandma.”
For guests, there are consequences for getting caught.
“This type of behaviour is strictly prohibited and unlawful,” a company spokeswoman told the Journal. “Guests who attempt to do so will be escorted off property.”
The act of spreading ashes without permission is a misdemeanour, according to a spokesman for the Anaheim (California) Police Department.
But there are plenty of people willing to take the risk, if it means their beloved friend or family member can spend eternity with Mickey Mouse and pals. They just hide the ashes in Ziploc bags or pill bottles when they come to the park.
Jodie Jackson Wells went with the latter in 2009 when she brought her mom’s ashes to Disney World, where she sprinkled them on the It’s a Small World ride and in front of Cinderella’s Castle.
“Anyone who knew my mom knew Disney was her happy place,” Wells told the Journal.
When people like Wells do get caught, theme park employees reportedly shut the ride down for “technical difficulties” until any visible ashes are removed.
So that’s what they’re doing…
Article via Yahoo News