The happiest place on earth is unionizing 🏰

Hey there! Last week, we told you about a college student who made over $70,000 selling restaurant reservations and asked for your POV. 

One of you had a great point we just had to share: 

To that we say: A-freaking-men. 💥

 1   Disneyland performers are forming a labor union 🏰

It’s “The Happiest Place on Earth.” Or is it? On Saturday, approximately 1,700 Disneyland performers, character actors, and support staff voted to unionize so they could demand better pay and working conditions, per AP News. 

Let’s zoom in. These are just some of the reasons why the performers are unionizing: 

What’s next: The union, called “Magic United,” will meet with The Actors’ Equity Association to outline the wages, benefits, and working conditions they’re after before heading to Walt Disney Company HQ. 

Want to show your support? Sign Magic Union’s supporters petition and spread the word through social media or by telling your friends IRL. 

 2   Amazon warehouse workers are struggling to get by 👎

Fact: Jeff Bezos is worth $210 billion. Also fact: More than half of Amazon warehouse workers can barely afford to pay their rent and groceries. 

A recent report by the University of Illinois Chicago’s Center for Urban Economic Development surveyed 1,484 Amazon warehouse workers across 451 facilities in 42 states and found that: 

• ➜ 57% didn’t have any emergency savings 

• ➜ 56% couldn’t pay off all their bills in the last three months 

• ➜ 53% experienced food insecurity (i.e. couldn’t afford groceries) in the past three months 

Amazon’s response? The retail behemoth claimed that the research’s methodology was “deeply flawed” and that its authors have “ulterior motives” (What those could be? Totally beyond us 🤷). 

• Zoom In: Amazon’s hourly rate is $20.50—but warehouse workers need to be earning at least an average of $25.66 an hour to catch up with inflation and rising costs of living. 

The bottom line: The research authors admit that Amazon isn’t necessarily an outlier in how it compensates employees. But as a company that advertises itself as “Earth’s Best Employer,” it certainly is falling short.

 3   Gen Z and millennials are quitting jobs that aren’t eco-friendly 🌱

There are many ways to be environmentally friendly: Recycle, conserve water, avoid single-use plastics, and…quit your job if your company has a sizable negative environmental impact. 

“Wait, what?” It’s true: new research from Deloitte found that around 45% of Gen Z and Millennials have left a job (or plan to do so) over climate concerns. 

• By the numbers: 70% of the 22,800 millennials and Gen Z surveyed said they look at potential employers’ eco-policies before applying. And if the green credentials aren’t up to par? A quarter said that’d influence whether or not they’d accept the job. 

• Their reason? This allows them to take environmental matters into their own hands instead of waiting for the government to act, suggests Fortune.  

So what are these young generations looking for? For employers to offer more sustainable products and services, commit to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, and offer green office locations—just to name a few. 

Job duties: Putting yourself in highly unsafe situations, providing emergency medical care, maintaining 12-hour shift schedules, casually saving lives…

Pay: $20 an hour, (or around $37,700 a year). Something’s not adding up here.

In this episode of The Break Room, we sit down with two EMTs to learn more about this profession: How they handle tough situations, their pay, and advice for aspiring first responders.

• We hit the streets of Greenville, North Carolina to ask workers how much they make! 

• Only 36% of managers receive pay equity training. Here’s why that’s bad news. 

• It’s a good time to be in tech: The unemployment rate for the industry is under 3%! 

• ICYMI: Olive Garden paid $30,000 to a job applicant after discriminating against them. 

• How much does an Organ Donor Coordinator earn? (Hint: It’s over six figures 💰). 

Thanks for being here! Before we sign off, here are the top median salaries of three high-paying jobs that don’t require a college degree:

1. Language Translator: $70,713

2. Video Editor: $61,468

3. Electrician: $68,727

Who said you can’t land a lucrative job without college? To get the full list of the highest-paying jobs that won’t land you in tens of thousands in debt, go right here.

See you next week!