Just over two weeks until the California Primary Election where a Democratic candidate could very well solidify their spot to be the party's nominee-- but it seems as if the entire Disney population isn't "Feeling the Bern." Or maybe it's the other way around. Democratic socialist Bernie Sanders is already out in the Golden State campaigning as he looks to claim 475 delegates within California. In doing so, the presidential hopeful took aim at The Walt Disney World Company-- implying that workers aren't being treated fairly. Sanders says Disneyland "pays its workers so low that many are forced to live in motels because they can't afford a decent place to live. Meanwhile, Disney made a record-breaking profit of nearly 3 billion dollars last quarter." The Vermont Senator did acknowledge that he is "probably the only politician to come to Anaheim and say this."--- and he might just be right.
He continued to discuss the topic of economic inequality by talking about the incident last year where the company laid off nearly 250 IT workers.. replacing them with cheaper immigrants with work visas. Sanders then went on to say that Disney is an example of what he is talking about when he brings up a "rigged economy." In an interview with Politico, Disneyland spokeswoman Suzi Brown responded to Sander's remarks with her own statement on behalf of the company: "Mr. Sanders clearly doesn’t have his facts right. The Disneyland Resort generates more than $5.7 billion annually for the local economy, and as the area’s largest employer has added more than 11,000 jobs over the last decade, a 65% increase. These numbers don’t take into account our $1 billion expansion to add a Star Wars-themed land, which will create thousands of additional jobs across multiple sectors." Disney cast members have been part of a union pushing for increased wages, but have seen no results over time, especially with budget cuts around the country over the past few months. The democratic underdog says it "would be nice" for Disney to move its manufacturing of consumer products like T-shirts to the United States rather than importing them from countries where it costs less to produce, like China.
When the 74 year old candidate first jumped onto the presidential scene, one of his top priorities was "taking down Wall Street." Sanders tenure in political position is decades long, and he's always fought to raise minimum wage and put the population of general America in control of the nation. His motive has been to make sure the top-earning companies (like Disney) are paying their fair share of taxes and are spreading the wealth so to speak. He says the middle class is living below the poverty level and top corporate organizations should be paying a higher than was the current minimum wages are listed at. Towards the end of his speech at the Anaheim Convention Center, Sanders said he wasn't going to make an appearance on ABC because they fall under the Disney umbrella. However, ABC did stream the speech, and Sanders will appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live later this week.