Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Disney BLAST!s out


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Posted by Jay Bertolet on May 26, 2001 at 07:23:49:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Disney BLAST!s out posted by Cast Member on May 25, 2001 at 21:51:33:

I hope you don't feel you have to apologize for your honest and sincere comments that are obviously offered in the spirit of open debate. I have no problem with civil disagreement and I appreciate your candor.

Perhaps we have just spoken to different people who were connected with Disney. It could be as simple as that after all, it is a rather large corporation. I'm not suggesting that there is some evil individual in a back room somewhere, who takes great pleasure in firing players just before they are eligible for benefits and pension. I think, after talking to many players who were treated in this manner, that Disney views this as a simple business decision. Profit is the primary objective for them. Not paying benefits is cheaper than paying them, plain and simple. We're not talking about the AFM pension here, that is a totally separate entity.

The whole question of ethics is a very tricky one with Disney, in my opinion. For example, you suggest that Disney offers these players other jobs when they are fired from their playing ones. You also suggest that the company gives these player ample warning when their time is up. That just isn't the story I've heard from those former employees that I've spoken with. I distinctly remember one person telling me that he had to get used to the idea that every week could be his last. The common wisdom among the employees when he was there (by the way, this particular individual has no axe to grind with Disney and considers his experiences in Orlando to have been very positive and to have ended positively) was that you assumed every paycheck was going to be your last. This is no way to live!

We could get into a very long debate about how Disney has affected the cultural scene in Orlando. I don't want to because I'm not that good of an author. I have spoken to many long time professionals in that area and they're pretty much saying exactly the same thing when it comes to Disney. First off, Disney pays its musicians very low wages. This keeps a pool of underpaid musicians in town that are always looking for ways to supplement their income. Second, Disney has a high turnover rate among its musicians. This keeps a somewhat inflated number of unemployed musicians in the Orlando area. These two factors mean that the competition for gigs in the area is stiff and that price wars abound. Just look at what happened to the Florida Orchestra and see how that kind of environment can affect other professional organizations.

My wife is a huge fan of Disney. We went to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot just last December. And I have to tell you that the park has changed a lot. And not for the better. I found people less friendly, less knowledgable, and some who were downright rude. Obviously, not very happy people. The lack of professional musicians around the park, which used to be in abundance, was absolutely missed by me. In fact, the best and only group I heard during the two days we spent there was a little combo in Epcot at, I think, the Morrocan Pavilion. The rest of the music was recorded stuff broadcast over the park's PA system. This "New Concept" was not a good experience for me and I imagine that others feel the same. For your sake, since you are still in the employ of Disney, I hope it works out. Thanks again for the candid and open debate.

My opinion for what it's worth...


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