Disney Offers Full-Time to Park Staff as Obamacare Starts

[Roland99]

Source: Bloomberg

Walt Disney Co. (DIS) is offering full-time positions to 427 part-time employees at Walt Disney World in Florida who worked enough hours to qualify for health benefits under the Affordable Care Act.

The offer was made to staffers who put in more than 1,500 hours in the past year, the threshold at which employers will be required to offer coverage, said Ed Chambers, president of the Service Trades Council, which represents 37,000 at Disney parks in Orlando. Other companies are reducing hours to avoid the mandate.

While Disney’s proposal is good for employees, it presents a dilemma for the six affected unions because some who qualify have less seniority than others in line for full-time jobs, Chambers said. Representatives of the unions, which operate under the Service Trades Council umbrella, are requesting more information from Disney and plan to meet again on Oct. 7.

...

Roughly 27,000 full-time employees at Walt Disney World get health-care benefits that meet the requirements of the act, Chambers said. Part-time workers who don’t qualify for coverage under the act get more limited benefits

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-01/disney-offers-full-time-to-park-staff-as-obamacare-starts.html

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And WalMart recently announced moving part-timers to full-time (with benefits)

Perhaps things are a changin'

[Robbins]

1. Well

This is good news.So muc for obamacare killing businesses

[Xipe Totec]

2. Obamacare has removed the incentive for keeping these employees part-time

The only reason they were part time to begin with is so that Disney could avoid giving them health insurance. Now that Disney has to give them health insurance anyway, they might as well work full time.

Suddenly, giving them health insurance is the cheaper option.

[groundloop]

3. No..... I'm sure these corporations are acting out of the kindness of their hearts

(And just in case my title is taken too literally : )

[Politicalboi]

4. It's great to see

But Disney will just raise the price of the park admittance to compensate. Gotta get that money back somehow. Poor Disney. Can't take away from CEO's.

[Roland99]

5. They've been raising prices consistently every year for years

at least now they'll have to plow some of those profits into better benefits.

[PatrynXX]

6. Well the original intention of Unions....

was Safety. For certain unions. they could care less about safety. All about $$$$$. So I'm glad some things companies still understand..

[Nye Bevan]

7. Sounds good, but I don't get the "seniority" stuff.

Surely the best performers should be given the full-time jobs, as opposed to those who have been there longest?

[Roland99]

8. Only a small percentage of employees are actually performers (like dancers)

Most are in housekeeping, food service, custodial work in the parks, maintenance, ride operators, etc.

[Nye Bevan]

9. I actually meant job performance (nt)

[Roland99]

10. not so sure that really comes into play given the types of jobs most people have there

[cosmicone]

13. lol n/t

[24601]

11. Not necessarily the way union contacts operate. As long as you are meeting employee standards,

members with seniority often get 1st refusal for more hours, more desirable shifts, etc. In addition to performers (singers/dancers) who belong their union, the Disney Cast has in-house tradesman (for example carpenters, electricians, painters) who make them things Disney just can't go out and buy elsewhere. Not a lot of companies make flying Dumbo rides. When Disney approached elevator companies to help them design (and sponsor) the "falling elevator' Tower of Terror ride, the response was that those companies really had spent their companies R&D avoiding falling elevators. Some things were contracted out, but it was made with Disney Imagineers (Engineer Cast Members) and their other departments headquartered in the support area behind the Magic Kingdom.

[24601]

12. Oh, and most of the Cast Members in Transportation, (non-performers) in the Entertainment

Departments and resort operations are non-union.

[marble falls]

14. A bit closer to the tipping point.