^^^ I will try to make it out there Monday too for a dinner at the Festhaus, and the last show. Now that'd be an in park meet-up I'd be willing to go to!
SDG Informing You
- Thread starter SDG
- Start date
There is so much to write after today's events but I am too exhausted but hopefully I can shed some light later. Today was a win for all of us. But unfortunately everything being done on the local level here at Busch is being covered up. Everyone of you who cares enough to make a difference and reclaim our park NEEDS to contact Jim Atchinson in every way possible. They are already trying to spin the truth and rumor is getting out that they fired the last guy because he was drunk which is not the truth. If you truly seek change then this is the next move. If we continue to wait then we will continue to be disappointed. There is a reason that this was the first year the performers were not allowed to fill out evaluations on their stage managers as well as the entertainment department/SG that are sent to corporate. Let's just say last years hurt Scott to the core. For any chess players out there today might be what you call Queen's Check. No pun intended...
I sent an e-mail directly to Jim, and I suggest everyone do the same if not, more so. This is something that needs to be taken care of so that the root of all evil will finally die 
I believe his e-mail is jim.atchison@seaworld.com
I believe his e-mail is jim.atchison@seaworld.com
Yes fire off an email to Jim Atchison, he will actually take time to read and correspond.
I emailed Jim Atchison over a week ago. No word...No drama at the Saturday Pass Members meeting. Just the usual dog and pony show and no Q&A. Seemed like a lot of new faces on the actors on stage. Are they the new hires from NY? Thought it interesting that only about 10% of the 1200 attending that went to Food and Wine and the applause for its returning next year was tepid, at best. London Rocks seems another copyright lawsuit waiting to happen. Even the Queen of England could get in on it!
NTOTC said:
I know it would be bad for the park, but that would be SO COOL to see on the news...
"Next on N.B.C. Nightly News with Brian Williams, The Queen of England is suing Busch Gardens in Williamsburg,Virginia for a song in one of their shows."
Again, I know it would be bad fr the park, but good for publicity.
http://deathatseaworld.com/
Everyone's hours will be reduced! Let me tell you that a lot of "part time/seasonal" workers could get up to 80 hours in a week let alone 32 hours. Now Everyone can't go past 28 hours. What will be the answer to this? Twice as many employees? Two casts system again? Who of quality will work for so little hours? What a dark day.
Forgot to mention there is no such thing as overtime at the park as well.
Everyone's hours will be reduced! Let me tell you that a lot of "part time/seasonal" workers could get up to 80 hours in a week let alone 32 hours. Now Everyone can't go past 28 hours. What will be the answer to this? Twice as many employees? Two casts system again? Who of quality will work for so little hours? What a dark day.
Forgot to mention there is no such thing as overtime at the park as well.
While I agree its sad to see those hours cut, you can't blame the company for wanting to avoid having to spend so much money on healthcare.
This is a political issue, and is just another reason why the Affordable Care Act is going to really hurt a lot of people.
SWE did the right thing here from a business perspective.
This is a political issue, and is just another reason why the Affordable Care Act is going to really hurt a lot of people.
SWE did the right thing here from a business perspective.
This does add a slight burden on the parks, but with a doubled staff, things shouldn't be too bad, it just means more people have to be hired in the end.
Except for those who don't have many hours in a job or insurance.Party Rocker said:
This debate really reflects an age-old policy issue. Is it better to hire more people at a lower salary or fewer people at a higher (and usually more reasonable) salary? Where is the greater good? It is the crux of the minimum wage debate.
I would posit that this question has never been definitively answered, and I doubt we are going to solve it here.
I would posit that this question has never been definitively answered, and I doubt we are going to solve it here.
Nic said:
So, with that said, lets not try to fight it out here. It's an important piece of news, but this isn't the place to debate the laws behind it.
For those of you who are younger in years, keep in mind this: as you move on with your professional career, health care is a huge portion of your overall compensation package. It isn't usually figured in when getting quoted your salary or whatever. But, if you take your salary and add in the rest of your compensations (health, dental, life, retirement, etc.), you are in fact earning quite a bit more than your stated salary. Never forget that. That is all.
Chickenking said: It isn't usually figured in when getting quoted your salary or whatever. But, if you take your salary and add in the rest of your compensations (health, dental, life, retirement, etc.), you are in fact earning quite a bit more than your stated salary. That is true in a salaried position. But, only a small fraction of the workers at BG are salaried. The vast majority are hourly at a stated hourly wage. These individuals are only covered by workmen's comp. I know this first hand. SWE cannot absorb the cost of healthcare for their seasonal (i.e., most) workers. With the new rule, they can only let people work less than 30 hours. For those trying to make a living, that is a big problem. Even with the larger hourly rate of those in Entertainment, 28-29 hours a week will not pay the bills. Having two casts will not alleviate this problem. I, as a retired individual, can work there because it is a supplimental income. I forsee a lot of older workers there in the future. Can you imagine a 60+ singer dancer???
Nic said:
This isn't really about salaries, but more or less the cost of benefits. Figure it like this, if you cut back hours but raise the pay rate, it would be as if you didn't change anything at all, depending on the hours cut and the raise amount.
I'm just trying to get across that if you have to work more than 30 hours to get medical benefits and your limits is 29, they just hire more people. More people working at less hours can figure out to be the same cost.
For example, the shifts are still the same, the amount of hours is still there. It is just about who works collects those hours.
Carl Lum told employees today that in 2014 seasonal employees will not be allowed to work any longer than 6 months per year, this is coming down from SeaWorld. This will have far-reaching effects in staffing. This is all part of the new staffing rules.
Again, I point out that the vast majority of workers at BG are seasonal, meaning they have no benefits except workman's comp. The new law requires a company to provide health insurance for employees who work over 30 hours a week. Yes, the park will hire more people to work fewer hours to get around this law. But, the important thing is that many, and I mean thousands, work there as a means of living. Now they will have to find another job to supplement what they will be losing a BG. This means many will not be coming back. They will find gainful employment elsewhere. Still, the park will have workers for the regular jobs. I am talking about the Entertainment department where skilled workers are paid more and a much greater percentage are those trying to make a iving at this job. Under this new rule, they will not be able to do that and will have to go elsewhere. This will hurt the park in this department and change the overall quality of the park.