Disney and the labor union supporting the characters at Disney’s theme talk are still in a heated discussion over issues within their contracts.
Certain issues have a little bit of give and take. How long do the characters have to be outside in their costumes for before they can take a break? Does pollution make a difference in that time, and if so, by how much? How long do they get to change into their costume? Lots of things with both sides having a good argument for their point of view.
But one that was just settled basically boggles the mind. The people that play Disney characters could not, up to this point, wear their own underwear! They checked in every morning and, along with their costume, they were issued a special pair of jock strap type things which didn’t show through the costume. These were randomly given out, which means you didn’t get your own pair back the next day.
Disney claimed to use hot water, but investigations proved this to not be true. There have been three cases of lice and scabbies in the last two years because of this practice.
What I want to know is, why couldn’t employees buy their own special underwear? Or why couldn’t they take it home with them? Or why didn’t they at least take precautions to ensure that infections weren’t transmitted?
Basically, WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS DISNEY THINKING? The only thing I can come up with (other than: they weren’t thinking), is that they were using this lame argument as a negotiating tool. “Oh sure, we’ll give you clean underwear if you give up that 50 cent raise.”
I don’t have a link to this article. I just read it today in the local paper. But if anyone knows where to find more information online, I’d love to see it.
Just one more way for Disney to attempt to control every aspect of an employee’s life. Right up there with no facial hair, no more than one small ring per hand, 1/8" length of fingernails (natural only- no acrylics), etc.
I am grossed out by the pubic lice thing, though. Can’t be bothered with hot water & soap, huh? This doesn’t even count all the complaints about aroma, texture, etc, that the Mouse apparently received.
As if they needed more bad publicity, or another reason for people to laugh at them…
Agreed. I am a complete Disney freak (and started an IMHO thread for the rest of us freaks), and this struck me as absurd. It surely seems reasonable to have employees buy a specific brand of shorts as a required part of their uniform - lots of companies do so.
However, Disney isn’t just any company - the reason they are hailed as the ultimate in customer service is because they pay attention to such niggling details, even down to the underwear their cast members are wearing. How does one check that the employee is wearing what they’re supposed to be wearing? If they don’t, what’s to be done with the CMs who don’t wear them (and the reason they had them wear special undies was because they didn’t show pantylines)? By the time a guest might complain (and believe me, they do), the damage is already done - someone saw Cruella deVille’s panties. Children scarred for life. (Ok, it’s an extreme, but, again, this is why Disney does these things.)
If you’ve ever talked to a CM, the amount of detail and precision involved in being a CM, especially if you’re a costumed character, is astounding.
For example, next time you’re at WDW or DL, ask Cinderella where her glass slippers are. She will have an answer for you.
A lot of my friends–the slack ones–in Orlando are loath to pick up one of the hundreds of decent jobs that are often available at Disney World and its adjuncts because of the meticulously managed nature of virtually every position. One term I’ve heard used more than once is “working for the Mouse.”
With that in mind, it sounds to me like Mickey dropped the ball on this one.
The BBC ran the Disney underwear story on Thursday.
Skimping on hygeine practices seems like a poor way to save the company money. I can almost see all the Moms yelling at their kids: “Don’t you Touch that Dirty Mouse !”.
Thanks Squink. That’s the same article I saw, I think. Probably borrowed it off the AP (assuming the BBC uses the AP. Well, whatever).
Sofa King, I think the problem here is that Mickey wasn’t letting anyone drop the ball. (groan…)
I still don’t get the issue though. Micro manage all you want to, but there’s no reason in the world the employees couldn’t take their underwear home with them and wash it.
The same thing happened at a local women’s prison earlier this year. They couldn’t keep their own underwear and the prison nearly broke into a riot over the right to not wear someone else’s standard issue briefs.
So…Disney treats its employees as bad as prisoners. At least the prisoners get A/C all day.
Yeah, I agree that the underwear thing is icky. But I have to say that I’ve never seen better customer service at any store, restaurant, or government building. Without exception every “cast member” I spoke to was polite, knew what they were doing, and was able to answer my questions. I went there in January and October of 2000 and found this to be true both times.
Marc
PS: At Islands of Adventure I actually heard employees complaining about their shift in front of customers. Something you don’t hear at Disney.
I did that for a month several years ago, my favorite was the teddy bear one. the most awkward was a purple dinosaur outfit for a soda. I got five bucks an hour for a four hour shift. Disney is wrong to make these people wear communal underwear. I cannot, will not believe that customer service is affected that badly by not letting someone wear their OWN underthings.
You sweat so much in those costumes, even in winter, and that makes it that much easier to pass on any infections. I always had to shower afert i came home from this.
Does anyone know how often these costumes are drycleaned, what microorganisms does drycleaning kill?
