With the rapidly changing requirements of COVID-19 safety, Disney has made two decisions that they hope will help keep employees and guests safe and the parks open as Covid cases surge. All salaried and non-union hourly employees will have 60 days from today to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.
Although cast member vaccinations have been left to personal discretion until now, Disney is now requiring all of its salaried and non-union hourly employees to be vaccinated. Negotiations have already begun with the various unions which represent some of Disney’s employees. Here is the official statement from Disney:
“At The Walt Disney Company, the safety and well-being of our employees during the pandemic has been and continues to be a top priority. Toward that end, and based on the latest recommendations of scientists, health officials and our own medical professionals that the COVID-19 vaccine provides the best protection against severe infection, we are requiring that all salaried and non-union hourly employees in the U.S. working at any of our sites be fully vaccinated. Employees who aren’t already vaccinated and are working on-site will have 60 days from today to complete their protocols and any employees still working from home will need to provide verification of vaccination prior to their return, with certain limited exceptions. We have also begun conversations around this topic with the unions representing our employees under collective bargaining agreements. In addition, all new hires will be required to be fully vaccinated before beginning employment. Vaccines are the best tool we all have to help control this global pandemic and protect our employees.”
