Walt Disney World has announced a price hike for one-day passes into their theme parks, which has sparked protests amongst the parks' cast members.
According to WTXL, cast members (Disney employees) held a Union protest on Monday in Lake Buena Vista. Amongst those demanding pay are "thousands of housekeepers, restaurant workers, and ride operators."
"I love working for Disney, I love what I'm doing," Isaie Marc, a cook at Disney's All Star Resort, told WTXL. "Two thirds of our people we represent, they're not making enough money, they're making less than $10 an hour, so hopefully the company will look at that."
However, most employees making less than $10 an hour are part-time, WTXL reports.
"The majority of Service Trade Council cast members have been with the company over 10 years which is higher than the average for this type of role, so they are staying here with us because we offer not only a leading pay and benefits package but also we offer great programs like on site child care and an on site clinic," said Jacquee Wahler, a Disney spokesperson.
Disney has increased their ticket prices from $95 for adult admission to $99 for the one-day pass.
"Disney spokeswoman Kim Prunty says the pricing reflects the high quality of the parks," AP reports. "She also says most guests buy multi-day tickets, which are considerably cheaper per day."
Along with the announcement of a ticket price hike, Walt Disney Studios has launched a cloud-based movie service called Disney Movies Anywhere. The service will allow users to watch more than 400 Disney classics using the app available on the iPhone, iPad, iTouch and Apple TV.
"Disney Movies Anywhere is an adaptable digital ecosystem designed to help consumers consolidate their Disney movie collections and enjoy them for years to come," Jamie Voris, chief technology officer with the Walt Disney Studios, said in a statement. "The beauty of this technology is that it enables us to work with iTunes and future provider partners to ensure movie lovers have streamlined access to all of their favorite Disney titles no matter which device they are on."
