Will the Disney parks remain closed beyond March? And if so, will employees continue to get paychecks?
These are questions worrying cast members and Disney travelers alike.
In a letter posted on the Union Employee Facebook page, the vice president of labor relations for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts says members are “in a state of limbo and worried about medical insurance, rent food and other necessities.”
The letter ends with a plea.
“Please announce that you will continue compensation with medical benefits to all (20,000) cast members, including addressing concerns the unions have raised regarding the approximately 1,200-plus members who live off earned tips and gratuities, until at least April 19.”
A response is requested by 3 p.m. Friday (March 27).
Disney initially announced March 12 that to combat the Coronavirus it was shuttering the parks through the end of the month, and vowed to continue to pay cast members during the closure.
“Disney earned tremendous goodwill when it announced it will compensate cast members through March and all other theme parks followed your need,” the Facebook letter reads.
An update that went out to employees on Tuesday March 24, though, was downright wishy-washy.
“As we continue to work through this very fluid situation we are unable to post schedules at this time,” the memo reads. Conspicuously absent: Any mention of cast member compensation.
With April less than a week away, panic is setting in.
“It is now certain the park will not reopen until well after March 31,” reads the union letter. “At the very least (Disney) should do no less than what Universal is doing with their team members.”
Universal Orlando and Universal Hollywood recently extended their reopening date to potentially April 19th. And in that announcement, reaffirmed that it will continue to pay its employees through the closure.
“Disney continues to remain silent and in fact the posting of scheduled hours only going through March 31 has resulted in cast member anxiety,” the letter reads.
Cast members might not be the only ones who are worried.
Officially Disney is closed only until April 1. Hotels in the area that haven’t already closed do have scheduled guests for early April. Those guests, from all over the world, need an answer as well if they are to cancel flights and hotels.
UPDATES
Disneyland and Walt Disney World announce an extension of closures and payment for some cast members:
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Editor’s Note: Please help us welcome Lori Basheda to the MiceChat team. Lori is an award-winning journalist and Disneyland fan. Feel free to let her know if there’s anything you’d like her to investigate.
What do you think Disney is waiting for? Will Disney match Universal’s promise to pay employees?
Disney’s original closure announcement promised to pay cast through the end of March. That wording has been silently replaced on the Disneyland website with a version no longer mentioning employee pay:
Original March 12th announcement (note the last sentence of the first paragraph):
The revised resort update no longer mentions cast pay:
We look forward to hearing your comments below.
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