Tensions Between Disney And Its Heiress Continue To Heat Up

Abigail Disney, the heir to the Disney fortune, has been speaking out lately against income inequality, and today the Walt Disney Co. clapped back. Paid To Smile Abigail Disney recently visited the Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California to observe the working conditions of employees. She said in an interview with Yahoo that what she saw made her “livid,” with workers saying they were struggling to remain happy on the job and often had to dig through “other people’s garbage” for food. Return Fire Disney didn’t brush her claims off, calling them “a gross and unfair exaggeration” in a public statement. The company also pointed out that it pays employees an average of $19.50 an hour, more than double the federal minimum wage, and that it also committed $150 million to its Disney Aspire program that pays for workers to earn a college, high school or vocational degree. What About Bob? This is far from the first time that the heiress has spoken out about the Disney corporation. Earlier this year, she criticized a compensation package for CEO Bob Iger that will be worth as much as $35 million saying "if your CEO salary is at 700, 600, 500 times your median workers' pay, there is nobody on Earth—Jesus Christ himself isn't worth 500 times his median workers' pay." She has spoken to Congress about the need for a wealth tax to alleviate economic inequality. She a high-profile member of Patriotic Millionaires, which supports an increase in the federal minimum wage to $15 by 2024, a more robust estate tax, higher corporate taxes, plus an equalizing of tax rates on capital gains and income, and is one of a number of wealthy heirs and heiresses who have spoken out against excessive wealth. -Michael Tedder Photo: Mike Blake / REUTERS