So I have been such a gigantic PITA today. New Boss and I were discussing one of our company’s locations, which is experiencing a hiring boom due to the high tourist season. Typically, these positions are filled by foreign students visiting the US on J-1 Visas (apparently bussing tables is an educational experience. Who knew?). Every (freaking) year, New Boss marvels at “The Russians” (as she calls them – for the record, most of them are from other Eastern European nations), how they don’t have to have FICA deducted from their paychecks, how they get all their Federal tax returned, etc. Anyway, discussion turns to (as always) “What would Outback do?” and then “I wonder how Walt Disney World handles this.” I started to say that it seemed like every name tag I saw at WDW back in 2002 listed a city outside the US as the Cast Member’s home city, but New Boss swears that WDW only hires Floridians.
Whaaat? (Or, more precisely, Quuuue? Quoooooi?) Is this true? I recall one of my sorority sisters working for WDW over summer break, but that was nearly 10 years ago. I did a little searching on the Disney careers site and it appears that she’s mostly full of it. The site listed the WDW Careers line and I am sorely tempted to call (“Is it true you only hire Floridians?”), but that would just be petty.
Yes, indeedy. Better to just make fun of her on the Internet.
(Also for the record, this is after she passive-agressively called me out for thinking no one can do anything right, which, at my employer’s, is practically a freaking given! I mean, year after year after year we’ve recommended this one particular location contract with a temp agency to get their J-1 employees and *I* am the meanie for suggesting the managers have their heads firmly up their asses?)
Anyway, if I have been a stuck up beeeeyotch to anyone reading this blog, I totally apologize. I am having a time of it – apparently Gene’s liquid diet has reignited a love in me for peanut butter cups and full calorie soda. On the bright side, Gene can now wear his wedding band again. He’s had to go into the office every day this week (ending tomorrow, hooray!) and he looks totally adorable all dressed up and wearing his ring. Yipppee!
New boss is wrong. they hire poor, easily impressionable college students that they can take advantage of: from any state and out of country. They make the college students pay for their “apartment” on the little-to-no-income that they get. In addition, they have to pay for other things too. The only thing they get that gets them out ahead (in spirit) is the fact that they have the “privilege” to work at Disney World. I won’t reveal my sources on the Web, but my sources are reliable.