As an heiress to the Disney fortune, anything Abigail Disney says about the brand beloved by millions worldwide garners attention. And she\u2019s calling out Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger for his nearly\u00a0$66 million yearly salary<\/a>, saying he isn\u2019t doing enough to rectify the huge gap between his own earnings and those of other Disney workers.<\/p>\n \u201cBob needs to understand he’s an employee, just the same as the people scrubbing gum off the sidewalk are employees,\u201d Disney said during an interview with the Yahoo News show \u201cThrough Her Eyes.\u201d \u201cAnd they’re entitled to all the same dignity and human rights that he is.\u201d<\/p>\n Iger\u2019s paycheck last year was more than 1,000 times what the median Disney employee made in 2018,\u00a0according to Equilar<\/a>.<\/p>\n To understand the grievances of Walt Disney Co. employees, Abigail Disney said she went to Disneyland after receiving a Facebook message from a distressed worker.<\/p>\n \u201cI went to Anaheim, and I wanted to be sure I understood the situation and the context really, really well,\u201d Disney said.<\/p>\n She said what she found at \u201cThe Happiest Place on Earth\u201d was a fa\u00e7ade that was about to crack from the pressure of making ends meet.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery single one of these people I talked to were saying, \u2018I 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,\u2019\u201d she recalled, adding that this was not the work environment her grandfather Roy O. Disney sought out to create.<\/p>\n \u201cI 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,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n \u201cThose people are much of the recipe for success.\u201d<\/p>\n After this article was published, a spokesperson for the Walt Disney Co. reached out to say the company generally avoids responding to such “baseless” accusations, “but this one is particularly egregious, and we won\u2019t let this stand.”<\/p>\n The spokesperson continued: “We strongly disagree with this characterization of our employees and their experience at Disney. This widely reported stunt is a gross and unfair exaggeration of the facts that is not only a misrepresentation but also an insult to the thousands of employees who are part of the Disney community. We continually strive to enhance the employment experience of our more than 200,000 employees through a variety of benefits and programs that provide them opportunity, mobility and well-being.”<\/p>\n The Walt Disney Co.\u2019s full statement can be found here<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n Abigail Disney says her efforts are part of preserving a work culture of respect that originated with her grandfather and that she says has gradually declined at the Walt Disney Co. \u201cWhen my grandfather worked there, he hired people there to have a job for life,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The company has also been accused of sexist pay practices. Earlier this month, four new women joined a major pay-gap case against it,\u00a0according to the Guardian<\/a>. They are part of a larger class-action lawsuit, filed in April, alleging that the company systematically underpays its female employees. Disney denied the allegations.<\/p>\n A filmmaker and philanthropist, Abigail Disney does not have an active role in the company her grandfather co-founded. But she says she recently wrote to Iger expressing her concerns.<\/p>\n \u201cI wrote Bob Iger a very long email, and one of the things I said to him was, \u2018You 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.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n But Disney said that in response to her email, she got \u201cnothing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere was no answer,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n According to the Financial Times<\/a>, Iger referred Disney to the company\u2019s human resources department, \u201cwho cited initiatives such as its $150m funding for employee education,\u201d motivating her to reach out to Iger again. She told the outlet: \u201cThat never got an answer, so I had my answer.\u201d<\/p>\n When asked about the pay disparity between Iger and his staff, a Walt Disney Co. spokesperson touted its education initiative, Disney Aspire, which covers 100 percent of all tuition costs, books and fees. The spokesperson said more than 40 percent of Disney\u2019s 88,000-plus hourly employees have signed up to participate so far.<\/p>\n \u201cDisney is at the forefront of providing workforce education, which is widely recognized as the best way to create economic opportunity for employees and empower upward mobility,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n The company added: \u201cAmerican workers need meaningful change; they deserve smart policies and practical programs, like Disney Aspire, that empower them to achieve their goals and ensure they are part of the most competitive workforce in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t the first time Abigail Disney has called out Iger for his income. She wrote\u00a0an op-ed<\/a>\u00a0in the Washington Post in April, criticizing the \u201cnaked indecency\u201d of his salary. And in May she spoke on Capitol Hill, imploring members of the House Financial Services Committee to rethink the system that allows CEOs to make so much more than other workers.<\/p>\n \u201cThe system is the problem, and the people inside of the system who are perfectly comfortable with the system are the problem,\u201d Disney told \u201cThrough Her Eyes.\u201d \u201cI don’t think any president of the United States has as much power as some CEOs in this country.\u201d<\/p>\n Abigail Disney recently went undercover to Disneyland after receiving a Facebook message from a distressed Disneyland worker. \u201cEvery single one of these people I talked to were saying, \u2018I 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.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n To help jump-start change, Disney says she wants to be taxed more.\u00a0<\/em>She and more than a dozen other wealthy Americans recently penned\u00a0an open letter<\/a>\u00a0to 2020 presidential candidates calling for a raise in federal wealth taxes to \u201csubstantially fund\u201d things like clean energy, infrastructure and universal childcare.<\/p>\n \u201cI have more than enough,\u201d Disney told \u201cThrough Her Eyes.\u201d \u201cAnd if you’ve got $1 billion, there’s not a thing on this earth you can’t afford.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u2018I was so livid\u2019: Disney heiress visits theme park undercover to see worker conditions<\/h3>\n
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