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Town Hall April 13 Answers | ||||
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TOWN HALL MEETINGIATSE Local 504 April 13, 2020 at 3pm E SSENTIAL EMPLOYEES & THEIR SAFETY Can we have a list of the 8 that have been kept on? Note: List is available upon request to the office. Roxanne Rosas will be one of the eight, working world of color, and also be the job steward. What measures will Disney be taking to ensure the health and safety of the 8 people working, and how will they handle illness and/or sick calls for these people? Masks are Provided at Security, one for each worker. If you are working by yourself you can take the mask off. If they need to call out, they will call out as normal, however no one outside of the 8 will be brought in to replace them. I'm sure this will be addressed but what is the current proposal to how to pick the members to keep working at the park/what job duties did they ask for? This is a group of eight who will be assigned until startup of the resort to oversee resort show readiness. Fantasmic, Fantasyland Theatre, Hyperion, World of Color. They were based on job knowledge and seniority. This small group of eight technicians will be employed on a full-time basis to fulfill these duties. P ARK ACCESSAny access to go on property to get any items or access a company computer? Suggestion: Try to contact your manager before furlough begins to make arrangements. F URLOUGHWhat about those of us who are out on medical right now? Anything we need to do to transition to furlough? Please contact Global HR at 321-939-7000 (Monday – Friday, 9:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M. ET | Saturday – Sunday, 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. ET). The company will not make these transitions without action on your part. If we apply for vacation this week, can we still get unemployment for the same time period while furloughed? If you get paid from any source just make sure you claim it as income with the EDD. they will adjust payment accordingly. Also, if you would like to cash out a lump sum of vacation you must do it before April 18th. Will the furlough end for all Disney Cast Members at the same time when a scheduled reopening happens? Or will the cast be called back as needed once business need is determined. If so, will seniority be taken into account? It will depend on business needs and how the park decides to reopen, which may not include all entertainment all at once. This procedure has not yet been determined, nor an opening date set. Return to work shifts will take seniority into account. UNEMPLOYMENTHelpful links: https://edd.ca.gov/about_edd/coronavirus-2019/workers.htm https://edd.ca.gov/about_edd/coronavirus-2019/faqs.htm There's an 800 number that Disney lists on the Hub for EDD https://disney.service-now.com/DToolsHR?id=dthr_kb_knowledge&sys_id=9c02f6051b005458a 4d0ea807e4bcb3d&table=kb_knowledge Unemployment has most of your pay information. They ask for your employment history for the last 18 months, but if you do your best that is fine. They will take your highest quarter and base your maximum benefit off of that. In CA the max benefit is $450 and you will get an additional $600 added to that from the CARES act. Make sure you put in the reason for no longer working is due to COVID-19. Being furloughed, when certifying UI we are saying we looked for work. Is that correct? No. You can state that you are with a Union on Furlough. From the EDD Covid FAQ Page "You will not be penalized if you answer “no” to the question about looking for work and will be paid benefits for that week if you meet all other eligibility requirements.” From the EDD Covid FAQ Regarding "Extra 600": Claimants do not need to do anything to receive this extra funding. The EDD will automatically add the full $600 to each week of current benefits that are paid every two weeks, as long you are eligible for at least $1 in a regular payment each week. None of the Managers names can be used on the Unemployment form as “manager” since they are on furlough as well. You should use “Global HR - phone number 1-321-939-7000 for “manager”. Who is the contact for those who are working during the Furlough? Kim Oliveras is the contact. Everyone below her is getting furloughed. Kimberly Oliveras (Kim) Sr Mgr-DLR Entertainment Tech ELE-AN-Technical Services 1-714-781-1109 / 8-232-1109 kimberly.oliveras@disney.com Is It Easier to File UI online or to call? EDD is really a smooth operation if you can keep all of your interactions online. Getting a human is a near impossibility. Can I get Direct Deposit for UI benefits? You can do direct deposit from Bank of America's website once you have the card. You can also just transfer money directly into your personal account from your EDD account. I’m blacklisted from doing business with BoA due to a previous lawsuit. BoA cannot do business with me or vise versa. I’ve been trying to contact EDD daily starting early. I cannot get through to a human. what would my next steps be? You don’t have to do business with Bof A if you just spend with the debit card they send you. With regards to the debit card, that is the state’s business and BofA is only a subcontractor. When already accepted for unemployment benefits; is it true that we don’t have to keep actively looking for work if we’re part of the union? True. Oftentimes, in our business, where shifts are determined by dispatch or scheduling (AKA "Gig work"...), it is likely that you will return to work as dispatched or scheduled by the employer or union hall. If you have an active claim, simply report any hours and earnings to EDD as prompted when certifying for benefits every 2 weeks. S TIMULUSJust wanting to verify. The extra $600 unemployment benefits begin this week and are weekly? Yes, if you have already filed, it is supposed to be retroactive to march 29. The $600 add on stimulus will last through July 31. Will you still get the $600 stimulus every week if you cash out vacation hours? These would fall under UI rules, and if you get it on a check before the Furlough begins you should not be penalized. Vacation taken immediately after the 19th will not be counted as furlough, and will reduce or eliminate your eligibility for UI benefits, and may prevent you from receiving the additional $600. It is highly recommended to ask for any desired vacation payouts PRIOR to the furlough. PAYROLL ISSUESI’ve been getting 37.85 hours for the past 2 weeks. Disney will only pay you your average for the past 3 weeks, even if you went in and worked a day or two. Question is, can I go in and back track a claim to the week my reduced hours began? From the EDD website: File your UI claim in the first week that you lose your job or have your hours reduced. Your claim begins on the Sunday of the week you submitted your application. Disney payroll can be reached at x4244 or x4419. Leave a message and they should call you back. If you have any payroll issues please contact the Union with questions and specifics For Disney Cast, sick time cannot be used? Only Vacation? That is correct. Vacation and PTO can only be used, no sick time. Also, if you would like to cash out a lump sum of vacation you must do it before April 18th. Just curious, has anyone suggested to Disney that they allow CM’s to “cash out” their Sick or Vacation Pay, rather than make people wait until the usual one-month window (January)? It has been advised to not take vacation pay. If you have vacation scheduled during the furlough, it would be a good idea to remove future vacations from the Cast Mobile app. The company will not automatically change this without your action. 401KWill drawing money out of your 401K affect your UI payout? Yes. Any money paid to you will affect you for the Pay Period it is received. It has been recommended to not take a loan on your 401K unless you absolutely have to. During the Furlough, current 401K loans are deferred until work resumes. You may elect to make payments online through the benefits page. For individual assistance you can call 1-800-354-3970 U NION INFOWill the local be forgiving or postponing any money for dues or % ? Temporarily or otherwise. No fees will be assessed at this time until after July 1st for the second quarter (The one that was due April 1st) If you can pay second quarter dues, please do so as it will help the union. If there are still extenuating circumstances when we reach the third quarter, we can revisit the issue. What is the local’s financial situation? The union is doing everything in its power to make sure we can weather the storm. SENIORITYWhat about seniority for those of us on the bounce? Will we lose the seniority we would have earned because we have no work, or will our seniority be advanced for the months we are unable to work? Will Disney workers be able to file theirs in the same manner? All Seniority will be frozen. Hours worked during the furlough will not impact seniority. Is there an updated seniority list? I have not seen an updated one this year. This is being worked on currently. F UTURE MEETINGSAssuming that the next E Board meeting will be on Zoom, I am requesting that any member in good standing be allowed to audit as we are doing today. This will be available for members in good standing but only as auditors Can we still have general membership meetings using Zoom? The E-Board is looking to see if this is a viable option. OTHER QUESTIONSDo we still have access to TTF (TRAINING) funds for approved certifications? Yes, and the Aspire Program through Disney Any Center questions? John O is available. We are expecting our daughter to be born early May. Are we able to make life event changes to our Disney insurance selections while furloughed? How does this affect insurance contributions? Will the company (Disney) be paying both the CM and company parts? Will they charge us back once work resumes? Yes, appropriate life events including births and spouse loss of coverage allow you to update Disney benefits. The company has committed to paying both their share and the employee contribution throughout the furlough. If you are not receiving a Disney paycheck, you will not have to contribute nor reimburse them later. |
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