Walt Disney heiress Abigail Disney whatever says about the brand it grabs attention by millions worldwide.
And she’s calling out Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger for his nearly $66 million yearly salaries, saying he isn’t doing enough to rectify the huge gap between his earnings and those of other Disney workers. She called it is not “The Happiest Place on Earth” for employees.
According to Fox Business, Abigail Disney told Yahoo! News that she was “livid” by the working conditions she witnessed at Disneyland.
“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,’” Abigail told the outlet.
The heiress investigated when a distressed Disneyland worker contacted her on Facebook. “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,” she said. “Those people are much of the recipe for success.”
Though Disney doesn’t play an active role in the company her granduncle Walt founded, Disney said CEO Bob Iger can take better care of his employees.point 237 |
“Bob needs to understand he’s an employee, just the same as the people scrubbing gum off the sidewalk are employees,” she said.point 124 | “And they’re entitled to all the same dignity and human rights that he is.point 197 | ”point 204 | 1
A Disney company spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News on that the company is doing great, under Iger’s leadership, and he has created a productive working environment for its employees and has made an initial commitment of $150 million to fund its Disney Aspire initiative for the first five years. Disney plans to continue investing in the future, and want to provide 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 spokesperson said.point 296 |
“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.point 217 |
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“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 statement continued.point 265 |
“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.point 199 | ”point 206 | 1
Abigail Disney’s criticize Disneyland’s working condition after she publicly called out Bob Iger’s “insane” salary.
“Let me very clear. I like Bob Iger. I do NOT speak for my family but only for myself,” Abigail said in a viral Twitter thread. “Other than owning shares (not that many) I have no more say in what happens there than anyone else. But by any objective measure, a pay ratio over a thousand is insane.”
Iger’s salary is reportedly 1,424 times more than median employee pay.
Abigail Disney said, “I think he’s allowing himself to go down a road that is the road everyone is going down,” she said at the conference.point 194 | “When he got his bonus last year, I did the math, and I figured out that he could have given personally, out of pocket, a 15% raise to everyone who worked at Disneyland, and still walked away with $10 million.point 370 |
So there’s a point at which there’s just too much going around the top of the system into this class of people who, I’m sorry, this is radical, have too much money.point 139 | There is such a thing.point 157 | ”point 164 | 1