In a new interview for Yahoo's human rights series Through Her Eyes, Disney heiress Abigail Disney has said that Disneyland employees aren't happy with their working conditions. She said that what she saw at the park after speaking with some workers left her "livid." Disney initially checked on the worker conditions after she received a message from an employee of the park.
"Every single one of these people I talked to were saying, ‘I don't know how I can maintain this face of joy and warmth when I have to go home and forage for food in other people's garbage,'" Disney told host Zainab Salbi. "I was so livid when I came out of there because, you know, my grandfather taught me to revere these people that take your tickets, that pour your soda. Those people are much of the recipe for success."
During the interview, Disney also discussed the issue of CEO Bob Iger's ridiculous $66 million yearly salary. "Bob needs to understand he's an employee, just the same as the people scrubbing gum off the sidewalk are employees," she continued. "And they're entitled to all the same dignity and human rights that he is." In visiting the park to speak with employees, Disney said she went "undercover."
She added that her efforts were part of her continued attempt to make sure that people working in her name are treated with the respect they deserve. "When my grandfather worked there, he hired people there to have a job for life," she said. With the conditions she saw, however, it's clear that changes needs to happen. Disney herself doesn't work for the Walt Disney company, but she has continually expressed her concerns for how it's currently being operated.
"I wrote Bob Iger a very long email," she explained. "And one of the things I said to him was, 'You know, you're a great CEO by any measure, perhaps even the greatest CEO in the country right now. You know, your legacy is that you're a great manager. And if I were you, I would want something better than that. I would want to be known as the guy who led to a better place, because that is what you have the power to do.'"
Despite the lengthy email, she confirmed that she never got a response from Iger himself.
