Abigail Disney: the "fury" of the rich heiress who went to Disneyland to check the working conditions of employees

An employee of Disney's amusement park in California sent a message on Facebook to Abigail Disney, Walt Disney's grand-niece, in which he was talking about an unfortunate subject.

"You do not know me, but we really need your help," said the worker, according to Disney Zainab Salbi, host of Yahoo News' "Through the eyes" podcast, published in July.

It was bad working conditions in the park created by the Disney family.

Although she does not work for the company, Disney, a very critical activist of economic inequality in the United States, went to the park in 2018 to check the complaints she had received.

Although in the podcast, it is said that Disney was "disguised" in the park, Salbi said Wednesday on his Twitter account that his interlocutor had "never" said that he would go that way.

According to Disney told Salbi, the testimonials she heard made her "furious".

The Walt Disney Company denies the maintenance of its workers in poor condition.

Searching for food in the trash

Abigail Disney has been remembered in "Through his eyes" for what employees reportedly told him.

"Each of the people I talked to said," I do not know how I can keep that face of joy and warmth when I have to go home and look for food in the trash cans. others, "said the millionaire.

"I was so angry when I came out of there because, you know, my grandfather (Roy Disney) taught me to adore those people who get the tickets, who serve your soda ", did he declare.

"These people are part of the recipe for success," he added.

"In a business (Disney) that has never been so profitable, workers have no excuse for using food vouchers, rationing their insulin …"

Currently, the Disney empire has radio and television channels, amusement parks, movie studios and interactive media.

According to Forbes, the company is valued at 238 billion US dollars and ranks 27th on the list of the largest US companies.

Silence of the CEO

Disney told Salbi that he had emailed Rob Iger, the current CEO of Disney, informing him of the alleged situation of his subcontractors, but that he did Had not received an answer.

"Bob needs to understand that he's an employee, just as people who remove chewing gum from the sidewalk are employees," Disney said.

"They deserve the same dignity and the same rights as him."

The Walt Disney Company on Wednesday sent a statement to the US media in which it rejected the claims of Abigail Disney and defended its policy on labor.

"We generally avoid commenting on unfounded reports like this one, but this one is particularly outrageous and we will not let it go," the company said.

"We totally disagree with this characterization of our employees and their experience at Disney."

The company's statement rejects the interview as "a blatant and unfair exaggeration of the facts, which constitutes not only a false statement, but also an insult to the thousands of employees of the Disney community".

"We are constantly striving to improve the work experience of our more than 200,000 employees through a variety of benefits and programs that offer them opportunities, mobility and well-being. to be, "he adds.

"In our parks in Orlando and Anaheim, the Walt Disney Company currently pays its workers an average of $ 19.5 per hour, which is well above the federal minimum wage," he said.

"But we understand that the challenges that workers and their families face in 2019 are complex and go beyond pay," he says.

"That's why we offer a wide range of benefits (…): subsidized childcare services to generous vacation policies, through access to pharmacies and clinics, diplomas free universities and vocational training programs, "he explains.

Activist

Abigail Disney is the granddaughter of Roy O. Disney, brother of Walt and co-founder of The Walt Disney Company.

She is currently a film director and producer. In addition, she is a philanthropist, an activist, a defender of women's rights and peace.

In June, he signed a letter with 18 other millionaires belonging to the richest 1% of the United States. asking the candidates in the 2020 elections to create a wealth tax.

In April, he published a column in the Washington Post newspaper criticizing deep wage differences in the Disney empire.

"I had to talk about the pay indecency of Robert Iger, CEO of (Disney)." According to Equilar (the consultant), Iger earned more than 65 million US dollars in 2018. That's 1,424 times the average salary of a Disney worker, "he wrote.

In an interview published in March by the US magazine New York, she said that when she was young, she "embarrbaded" her family's fortune, so she got rid of a part of it. of her heritage when she became major.

Although the amount of its badets is not yet known, Disney has revealed that it has donated nearly 70 million US dollars in the last 30 years.

In 2016, Abigail Disney was one of the 50 millionaires who had written to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, asking him to raise taxes, given the growing economic inequality.