 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Slipping 'em the mickey What is happening to Disney? Although I haven't seen it yet, reports are that Mulan is actually a good movie - that'd be a first. Despite the reviews, Armageddon also seems to be doing fairly well at the box office. And now it appears that Mickey Mouse is an activist, or at least a picketer. At Disneyland Paris, a small group of Disney parade workers has been on strike outside the front gates for about two weeks. They smile and are still friendly, but now Goofy is saying, "Huyuuh, we want more money, folks." In all, the strikers make up only about 50 of the 13,000 EuroDisney workers. While the vast majority of employees in the European Disneyland are not striking, these parade workers are unhappy with their wages. According the them, any increases they have received have pretty much kept pace with required government increases in the French minimum wage. They are asking for an increase to the standard wage for amusement park performance artists, which according to the New York Times would give them an additional 2,000 francs per month, which translates to an additional $300-350. Not surprisingly, the striking parade workers are a jovial and friendly bunch, who all say they like working for Disney. They just want to be a little higher in the pay scale. Not too far in the future, these workers, along with the rest of France, will receive an hourly pay increase by default. In an effort to create jobs, the French government is going to reduce the standard work week in France to 35 hours per week, reducing it from the now standard 39-hour work week. The government would require employers to maintain the same rate of pay for the shorter week. -Chris |
||
|
|
|||
