Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders Suggests Disney Use Avengers: Endgame Profits to Pay Workers “Middle Class Wage”
Jorge Arenas
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Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders suggested Disney should pay their workers a middle class wage with the profits from Avengers: Endgame.
Sanders took to Twitter after Marvel Studios and Disney broke box office records with Avengers: Endgame’s opening weekend that saw the film bring in $1.2 billion worldwide.
The Vermont Senator and 2020 Presidential candidate tweeted, “What would be truly heroic is if Disney used its profits from Avengers to pay all of its workers a middle class wage, instead of paying its CEO Bob Iger $65.6 million – over 1,400 times as much as the average worker at Disney makes.”
What would be truly heroic is if Disney used its profits from Avengers to pay all of its workers a middle class wage, instead of paying its CEO Bob Iger $65.6 million – over 1,400 times as much as the average worker at Disney makes. https://t.co/NrcFSk4LZc
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) April 29, 2019
Sanders’ idea was openly criticized by a number of people with some pointing out the CEO’s pay wouldn’t even cover a modest increase in pay for the average worker for the company.
If Bob Iger made $0, workers would only get $26 more per month…
— AnApeInKhakis (@AnApeInKhakis) April 29, 2019
$65.6 Million per Year
Divided by
201,000 Employees
Equals
~$326 extra per Employee *per Year*
🙄#Politics #Economics #BasicMath— Doug Johnson 🐧 (@DougKlaaJohnson) April 30, 2019
Another user pointed to how Bob Iger’s leadership of the company had not only lead to more jobs, but also an increase in charitable giving from the company that has helped thousands both directly and indirectly:
@RobertIger has been leading Disney towards success for decades now. He is responsible for thousands of jobs created which give benefits and scholarships, not to mention some of the most financially succesful films of all time. He deserves every penny.
— Andy Ramirez (@ar0438) April 30, 2019
One user who claimed to be a Disney shareholder hoped that Disney would replace “low skilled workers with automated kiosks.”
As a shareholder I would prefer to Iger every penny and replace all low skilled workers with automated kiosks 🤷♂️ low skilled workers need to get skills instead of counting on govt or above market wages
— larry rosof (@skiguynyc72) April 29, 2019
Another user openly questioned the Senator’s request for Disney to be generous with their profits when he claimed that Sander’s only donated 3% of his income.
This from a man who barely donated 3% of his income
— Sandy (@sandydanton) April 29, 2019
Others claimed Sanders was being hypocritical.
#practicewhatyoupreach why don’t you give the proceeds from your book sales to the people making minimum wage working in the bookstore or the volunteers on your campaign.#Hypocrisy
— Mindy Gentry (@mindy_gentry) April 30, 2019
What would be heroic is if you put the same energy to helping working people during your 40-year senate career as you do helping yourself as a presidential candidate.
— Annie (@anniemused) April 30, 2019
Robert Downey Jr made more money for 1 movie than the CEO of Disney made. Go ahead bro. Attack RDJ. Go tell Iron Man he’s made too much. Be a man. Do it bro. pic.twitter.com/ySjFvZ8xZc
— Smittie™ GED (Hons), BS (D-) (@smittie61984) May 1, 2019
It would heroic if you shared the millions you made from the book deal with all the reviewers, editors, printers and marketing team. Recommend leading by example!!!
— Steve Wykel (@Swykel) April 30, 2019
One user claimed Sanders did not understand how “markets work.”
You seem to not understand how the markets work, more specifically how supply and demand in regard to an individuals labor skills play a massive role in their pay…
— Cameron Dye (@RealCameronDye) April 29, 2019
This isn’t the first time Sanders has targeted Disney. He previously called on the entertainment company to raise the wages of its lowest-paid workers to $15 dollars per hour.
In August, when the Walt Disney World Union were able to secure this feat, Sanders congratulated them.
Congratulations to the courageous workers and their unions at Disney World for their historic victory. I applaud everyone who stood up to demand that workers at one of the wealthiest corporations in the world should have a decent standard of living. https://t.co/pdEzhBUPQU
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) August 27, 2018
What do you think of Bernie’s suggestion for Disney? Should the company use its profits from Endgame to pay their workers more? Or are their other variables at work here?