Labor protest: Tinkerbell in handcuffs
August 19, 2008 by Fred HosierPosted in: Fun stuff on the Web, In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views
No company wants unionized workers protesting outside of its facilities. But it’s even worse when the company is Disney and the workers are arrested while wearing character costumes.
The protesters sat in a circle in a busy intersection in Anaheim, CA, home of Disneyland.
Police arrested 32, many of them in costumes representing famous Disney characters such as Cinderella, Snow White and Tinkerbell. You can see pictures of the protest and arrested workers here.
The protesters were arrested on a misdemeanor count of failure to obey a police officer and two traffic infractions.
Bewildered tourists walked by the protesters as they were being arrested.
A union for Disney hotel workers says the workers were protesting a labor proposal which would reduce benefits, making health care unaffordable for workers.
Tags: arrested, Disney, labor protest, Tinkerbell
August 22nd, 2008 at 12:29 pm
The question really is how much does the employee have to pay. We struggle with this one.
The reality is that the quality and availability of health care affect whether or not employees (especially low paid workers like the Disney ones) will get necessary care in a timely manner or put it off because they can’t afford it. Our higher paid employees don’t have this issue, but we need to provide benefits like this uniformly.
Low wage employees need to make a choice whether to enroll in benefit plans or have enough money for food, shelter, and transportation. This is not an easy choice for them.
Employees who are sick need access to care. If they come to work sick they pass illness on to other employees. Working sick reduces productivity and spreads the problem. If the sick employee is working with customers (as the Disney employees are) they pass on illness there as well.
It is flippant to assume that these workers are asking for the moon. Our employees current share of health care is over $100 per month and we have low paid production workers decline to participate because they literally can’t afford it.
Calling them lazy or unwilling to work is insulting, unneccessary, and untruthful. The issue of affordable health care is complex and neither the employees, nor corporate management can unilaterally solve it.
August 22nd, 2008 at 6:30 pm
I actually live in Anaheim, within five miles of Disneyland. Brenda is missing the point. Unions are always going to expect the world and pay some of their members to picket. It’s publicity they want to try and force the companies who are paying the ever increasing premiums to absorb more of the health care costs for these individuals. Honestly, what gives you more press then Disney characters getting arrested and taken to jail??????
August 25th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
I’m sure that there are always a few employees who really would have to choose between buying groceries or making healhcare premuim payments. But how many of those who claim that they “can’t afford” it walk around with expense cell phones and iPods, or pay for premium cable channels and other “extras” at home? Everyone has to make choices on what is a priority. I only object when individuals choose to pay for the “extras” and then expect taxpayers to pick up the tab for their family’s medical bills. Having said that, it is important to make sure that insurance is not affordable to only the higher compensated employees.