2009 Pay Rate...5 cent bonus here we come!

Actually Halloweekends doesn't seem that busy... I mean last year when I got out early I would go into the park and on some staurdays suprisingly the park wasnt packed and we didnt have tio wait long in the lines....and that would be a poor decision for CP to do that because its not like the park is even that busy... and Halloweeekends is the best part of the year...

Not every weekend was packed, but do you remember Columbus Day weekend and the other nice weekends we had? Every parking lot was completely full and they were parking people in the grass. The line for resort guest early entry at the Magnum/Soak City gate wrapped around all the way to the Hotel Breakers pool. Sure there are no 5-6 hour lines like there were when Raptor first opened back in the mid-90's, but I saw multiple coaster queues spilling over into the midway and the frontier trail fright zone has been restricted to one way on multiple occasions because the park is so busy.

Except for fridays Halloweekends has seen some of the busiest days the past couple of years, I understood why they did it last year...but I wouldn't mind just having the tickets for friday use only...I know weird, but you can get a lot in for the six to seven hours you're there even if a lot of things aren't open...of course many times I work friday so morning so like the time I went last year I was about ready to fall asleep on the rides that were open and I didn't stay tooo long but it was fun and I would have saved (well still have two so lol) my courtesy tickets for somebody to use them during that time. I don't really care..I hope we have them for at least the main season because my younger brother and sister are finally getting old enough to enjoy more of the rides..

RidePhoto101 said:
The only issue with extending comp tickets to Halloweekends is that it is now the busiest time of the season

Starting in October.

September still sees less than great crowds like the park wants. Tickets can easily be used into September, or at least the first Halloweekend. I have yet to see a busy first Halloweekend in the 9 years I have been visiting the first weekend.. Ralph was just pointing out that pretty much the only "perk" that Screamsters got has now been taken away.

Although, according to Bill Spehn, Screamsters do not have to work during the day on Saturdays, unless you were already lined up with a different department.

And?

So that can possibly be considered a perk, to some.

I wouldn't really consider that though. The reason they are not required to work anymore was a suggestion from me. It was an old management rule that said: If you want housing, you have to direct traffic or take tickets or sweep. Well, a lot of good Screamsters needed housing after getting off at 1 a.m. but still had to be at work or school the next day in BG, Amherst, Cleveland, UT, etc, etc. So not being required to work at CP did not mean they didn't already have another job or school.

This year there was only a small group that worked only as a Screamster and had free time during Saturday. So to them, sure its a perk. But for the rest who wanted their kids, parents, or friends to come in and see them 'perform', could not have that this year. They had to pay $42 (or whatever it was).

Those tickets were the last good thing they had since the pay during weekends was equal to a ride host with the bonus.

The problem with arguing that Halloweekends is busy isn't a very good reason to not give comp tickets to the Screamsters. There are at most about 120 Screamsters who stay longer than 2-3 weeks and don't already work for another department. Even if each Screamster got 4 free tickets, that's 480 free admissions. Spread that over the span of Halloweekends and it's not going to any influence on crowd levels.

Cedar Point requires that you work 30 days before you get your passes. Other parks do it after 300 or 400 hours of work. Screamsters don't work 30 days/300 hours over the course of 8 weekends, so they wouldn't qualify for free tickets even if they were valid after labor day.

It's 30 days from the day you process in, not working days. In the past, Screamsters have always become eligible for their free tickets in early October, leaving you 3-4 weekends to use them. The 30 days is a moot point anyway because these employees are busting their butts to draw in the biggest crowds of the season, because the coasters are certainly not the reason for the huge crowds at that time of year. I'd say give the freebies to Screamsters a week after you process in, and if you quit or get fired, your freebies are invalidated, just like what happens when any other employee quits or gets fired. But with the corporate culture, I don't expect to see those freebies back anytime soon regardless of the situation.

Don't your tickets still work if you're fired or quit? I doubt anyone takes the time to actually invalidate them.

I'm not sure about employees who quit, but the tickets definitely get voided in the system if you get fired. I had a lot of angry guests who got duped into buying cheap tickets from former employees that were not valid because that employee had been fired.

RidePhoto101 said:
Cedar Point requires that you work 30 days before you get your passes.

Just to be clear, its 28 days:) And Ralph is right when he said its just the amount of days you have been there, not working days. Since 2001 all the Screamsters were eligible for tickets during weekends. Last year was the first year they were not.

If you quit, you are a no-rehire and you don't get your free tickets.

CdrPntNoItAll said:
If you quit, you are a no-rehire and you don't get your free tickets.

um thats actually not true...if you quit because you were about to get fired then yes you're probably a no rehire but if you give plenty of notice and explain your reasons then if you do want to come back then most likely you can. I've known (me being one of them last year coming back this year) many people who had quit in past years and came back later and others who quit last year and asked about coming back and were told on a case by case basis that they could come back. Now I was there in plenty of time to get my free tickets and had them the whole year, I used two but didn't use the last two before I "quit" (kind of a long story...wasn't actually ending my contract...sort of...ha)...anyway...but I left after Halloweekends had already begun soooooo.... I wouldn't know if they had been voided or not as they were already unusable by that time.

Well, well, well... see what all the hype and arguing over minimum wage did? Nothing good! 7.30/hr and NO BONUS! Thanks for making the 7/hr a big deal... we get paid less than we would've if we didn't make such a big deal about it.

I wonder how they're going to recruit people or what the line of persuasion will be.

All I know is I am a lifer and no matter what they pay, i'm in it for the memories, the friends and the pictures!

It just sucks for all the new timers. So here's an idea, let sell so much stuff, so many tickets and make more money than we ever have so we can bring back the 1.00 bonus like in 2006!

I love Cedar Point!

P.S. let's hope people don't quit when times get rough... because now there's nothing keeping people there. Well, if they quit, I get their hours lol.

lol not that we all won't check....

• $7.30/hr base rate for most positions
• $3.65/hr base rate for tipped positions
• $6.55/hr base rate for employees 14 and 15 years old

Because standing up for the law is nothing good, BJ? Relax, dude.

I'm way more interested to see what this does to Halloweekends staffing. They upped the number of positions Ride Prides could work by a massive amount last year, which really helped keep staffing. I assume they're counting on that again, because there's not even the weak promise of the $.35 bonus, or the $1 Halloweekends bonus, to hold over someone. Really, the bonus, in its previous form, was doing NOTHING to keep people there. Personally, even at a 5 cent loss, I'd rather have my money up front (anyone heard of Time Value of Money?).

If you are going to have to end your contract early, you get a 30 cent raise.

If you are going to work all the way through, you take a 5 cent cut in order to get all your money up front (which I would argue, financially, isn't a great loss, and may actually be a benefit).

The park gets to cross their fingers and pray about Weekends.

So, tell me, who comes out ahead in this? I'd say we do.

hey I don't disagree with fighting for the law! But a lot of people like the bonus! I know I did. My first year I had a 900.00 bonus check which bought my car! And from personal experience, people did stay there because they knew they would get a bonus. It's just a fun extra perk at the end of the season. I mean in 2006 we got a dollar bonus on top of actually making minimum wage, so the bonus was worth staying for. so all together in 2006 we made 7.85 compared to now 7.30 and no bonus. Again, I am not disagreeig with you Hoosier, we should fight for the law, that's why it's there. for the people who enjoyed the bonus at the end of the season, it's going to be a bummer and people are already saying they're rethinking working at cedar point this year with no bonus.

The lifers are the one's who don't care about the money. I know I don't. I work there for the friends and memories. I met my fiancee there whom I am marrying on March 4, 2009!

Sorry if my first post didn't come out the way I meant it to.

Love: BJ

P.S. I am not a dude! I am a ma'am. :) hehe