This was a tad harsh :-( I understand the need to express caution over a post, but bashing a relative newb who did nothing wrong is kinda lame. Sigh. For future reference, you should know that sometimes important info MUST be vague so that those in the know can hint at stuff without fear of losing their job (until enough people know about it that anonymity is possible). I am sorry if this board gets inundated with loads of b.s. rumors - Im sure it happens. Not from me.
While I don't have 25,000 posts to my name, my info was and remains very accurate, and very "urgent" if you want things to stay the same..."urgent" as in the Disney/union contract voting and finalization is imminent (guess I need to spell that out instead of saying read between the lines).
To further the details that others have added to my original post, it does indeed seem gratuity is on the way out as demanded by Disney. In exchange, PARTIES OF 6 OR MORE (whether DDP or not) will be charged 18% gratuity. You heard it here first. In addition, Disney servers will be forced to ram it down DDP guests throats that gratuity is no longer included as in years past. Disney is working out a way for credit cards to be charged for tips. Tip cards will be placed in the bill holder (as another poster already noted) alerting what an appropriate tip would be.
There will be a clause in the contract that if Disney finds guests are responding unfavorably to the changes (in other words, sales of DDP and hence hotel rooms, etc etc go sluggish) then they have the option to revert back to the old union contract with the included 18% tip for servers.
Negative reprecussions here?
1) Guests on DDP WILL pay OOP for tip, with no decrease in DDP price.
2) Servers will have to run twice as many checks for DDP guests charging a tip to a credit card or key to the world card. Hence, expect much slower service.
3) Guests will feel pressure to tip, as for the first time cast members will solicit for tips verbally - just in case the guest didnt read the fine print.
4) Again, parties of 6 or more will now be charged an auto 18% gratuity.
Thank you for posting this info. And I just wanted to concur, you are not the only CM I have heard this info from, so I do not believe that this is a rumor. And I totally understand your caution and why you felt the need to be a bit vague in your original post -- union negotiations are often delicate and hopefully don't turn ugly. We worked without a contract for months, and it was horrible, had to bring in an outside negotiator, the whole nine yards.
The DDP is a good deal with the tip included. Without the tip included, a lot of the value is lost. If a 3 course TS meal is worth $50, that increases the OOP cost to the consumer $9 for every TS meal --
if they actually tip 18%. If they tip less, the OOP is less, but then the servers are getting less. People that come from countries where tipping isn't customary may neglect to tip at all (certainly not all visitors, I've seen many overseas visitors posting on here who are very cognizant that American servers rely on tips to make a living wage). And if Disney fixes the tip at the "reimbursement" amount to the restaurant, if that's about $25 per TS meal, then effectively the servers' tips are cut in half -- again,
if people tip 18%. On tipping threads several people have said they routinely tip 20%, but then many others say they resent the automatic 18%. Which again leaves me wondering, how often are people getting such bad service at WDW restaurants that they feel they should leave a lower tip -- or perhaps nothing at all? We've always gotten such wonderful service at DL, I'm really kind of curious to find out what it will be like at WDW if so many people are upset that an 18% tip is included automatically in the plan.
And I do not believe at all that Disney will lower the cost of the dining plan, certainly not more than a token dollar or two -- but more likely, they'll emphasize how the cost hasn't
increased, isn't that wonderful. And the servers will be left explaining to customers that the plan no longer includes the tip (how awkward to have to point that out), and guests perhaps not having enough cash to pay for a tip and not wanting to charge tips to their credit cards.
Now, here's an interesting thought: suppose a group of six or more eats a TS meal and pays for it with their dining plan credits. But then they are presented with a separate bill for the 18% tip. What if they don't wish to pay it? Or they don't feel the service was adequate? If the tip was just on the plan, there is no dispute, it's included automatically. If the entire meal was paid for OOP, then the group would be prepared to pay cash or credit card anyway, and the tip would be part of that total bill. If it becomes common knowledge that is the practice, would groups be more likely to break up into parties of 5 or less when making their ADR's to avoid being automatically charged that gratuity?