Cedar Point Employee Strike--JULY 2, 2004, 5:07AM
The price of gasoline, milk, and insurance rise but what happens to your wage? What happens to the buying power of that check you receive?
Businesses who do not pay their employees a living wage ($10 and up is generally regarded as such) can still show they care by contributing a few cents for every hour worked to a burial fund, so that they can help bury the people they help to starve. In Cedar Fair’s case (Owner of Cedar Point, among other parks), they are kind enough to pay you 100 pennies for every hour worked if you happen to fulfill your agreement.
One of the greatest glories of America is that we have the right to protest, said Martin Luther King, Jr. But when it comes to the large number of Americans earning a wage that is well below a reasonable amount do they have that right? If you attempt to setup a union, say at McDonald’s, to increase your wage, what happens to you? But where other companies can simply fire you by closing up shop and re-opening down the street, Cedar Point is immobile. They are in a position to be respectful and negotiate because they have no other economically viable option.
The choice is yours: Do you feel you are being cheated? Money is all about freedom of choice.
I ask that you think about why you are being paid what you are, because this is your life your trading in for money. I ask that you question its fairness. Do your own thinking, and with the answers you arrive at, your actions will naturally follow.
Look at Cedar Fair’s revenue and market capitalization (http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=FUN&d=t). Consider that this corporation has the ability to spend approximately $145,000,000 on a new park. Think about why you are paying rent to a company that needs you to be there (can Cedar Point acquire enough employees in their general area?). Find out if Cedar Fair employees at other parks are being paid the same wage.
The requests to avoid a strike are simple:
- $10/hour wage for all new employees.
- Everyone who strikes, if it comes to that, must be rehired or a new strike will occur within 7 days.
- No unreasonable reduction of hours (If you averaged 50 hours a week, anything over a 10% reduction will be deemed unreasonable).
- No unwarranted punishments
If this is to happen, YOU will have to talk about this, not just me. This is up to you Melanie, Heather, Sam, Mark; it’s up to everyone. If you want to be a Ralph Nader or Michael Moore, if you want to feel like you can change something, and you can, YOU will have to change it.
I ask that you look at your left hand and write a W on it; it’s to remind you to ask the Why’s. Then perhaps put a W in your car window, a W in a legal posting area in public. Post your ideas on message boards, on websites. Talk about this. Ask yourself WHY.
W
[write your message or copy this one, because it may get deleted]
we have the right to protest ... Money is all about freedom of choice.
That's right. You also have the right to work somewhere else.
Why stop at $10/hr? How about health insurance, paid vacation, dental, paid overtime, eye care, and a 401(k)!
------------------
Walt Schmidt
Virtual Midway
*** This post was edited by Gemini 4/19/2004 2:52:27 PM ***
It's a freakin' seasonal job, a rite of passage for teenagers and college kids everywhere. Take your protest elsewhere, I'm not interested.
------------------
Jeff - Webmaster - GTTP - My Blog
Blogs, photo albums - CampusFish
What time does the water show start?
Closed topic.