Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Disney to Lay off 28,000 at Its Parks in California, Florida
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
September 30, 2020

Share

ORLANDO, Fla. — Squeezed by limits on attendance at its theme parks and other restrictions due to the pandemic, The Walt Disney Co. said Tuesday it planned to lay off 28,000 workers in its parks division in California and Florida.

Two-thirds of the planned layoffs involve part-time workers but they ranged from salaried employees to hourly workers, Disney officials said.

Disney’s parks closed last spring as the pandemic started spreading in the U.S. The Florida parks reopened this summer, but the California parks have yet to reopen as the company awaits guidance from the state of California.

In a letter to employees, Josh DÁmaro, chairman of Disney Parks, Experience and Product, said California’s “unwillingness to lift restrictions that would allow Disneyland to reopen” exacerbated the situation for the company.

DÁmaro said his management team had worked hard to try to avoid layoffs. They had cut expenses, suspended projects and modified operations but it wasn’t enough given limits on the number of people allowed into the park because of social distancing restrictions and other pandemic-related measures, he said.

“As heartbreaking as it is to take this action, this is the only feasible option we have in light of the prolonged impact of COVID-19 on our business, including limited capacity due to physical distancing requirements and the continued uncertainty regarding the duration of the pandemic,” he said.

California’s health secretary on Tuesday said the state was close to working out a way to have the theme parks reopen in a responsible way.

“We know that a number of Californians are eager and wondering when that is coming, and we’re working with those industries to put out something that’s thoughtful, allows us to maintain the rest of our framework in a strong way, and really following those principles of slow and stringent to ensure those large activities are done responsibly,” said Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of California Health and Human Services.

Disney Didn’t Breakdown Layoffs Between the Florida and California

Disney officials said the company would provide severance packages for the employees, where appropriate, and also offer other services to help workers with job placement.

Officials with the union that represents the actors who play Disney characters at the theme parks said they were having conversations with Disney officials about how they would be impacted, according to Actors’ Equity Association.

Officials with the Service Trades Council Union, which represents 43,000 workers at Disney World in Florida, said they were having similar conversations.

“We were disappointed to learn that the Covid-19 crisis has led Disney to make the decision to layoff Cast Members,” the coalition of six unions said in a statement.

About 950 workers from Unite Here Local 11 in California will be laid off starting Nov. 1, union leaders said.

Disney officials didn’t offer a breakdown of the layoffs between the Florida and California operations. Walt Disney World in Florida has around 77,000 employees, while the Disneyland Resort in California has more than 30,000 workers.

With its parks closed due to the pandemic in April, Disney furloughed up to 43,000 workers while still paying for their health insurance at its Florida resort. It brought many of them back after it reopened in July. Furloughed workers in California also received health benefits.

In a statement, U.S. Rep. Val Demings, a Democrat from Orlando, said the layoffs showed the need for more coronavirus-related relief from Congress.

“These layoffs show yet again how desperately that assistance is needed by American households and businesses,” Demings said.

DON'T MISS

Russia Says Trump’s Threats Against Iran Could Trigger ‘Global Catastrophe’

DON'T MISS

Get Off the Phone! Fresno Police Target Distracted Driving

DON'T MISS

Federal Reserve Chief Says Trump Tariffs Likely to Raise Inflation and Slow US Economic Growth

DON'T MISS

The NBA’s Playoff Chase Enters Its Final Days. Here’s a Look at What’s Happening

DON'T MISS

USC’s JuJu Watkins Named AP Player of the Year After Historic Sophomore Season

DON'T MISS

Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman Lands on Injured List Following Fall in His Shower at Home

DON'T MISS

How Trump’s Latest Tariffs Could Affect Your Wallet

DON'T MISS

Curry Scores 37 Points and Warriors Beat Lakers in a Potential First-Round Playoff Preview

DON'T MISS

LA Fires Death Toll Rises to 30 After Remains Are Found

DON'T MISS

US Added 228,000 Jobs in March as Economy Showed Strength in Buildup to Trump Trade Wars

UP NEXT

USC’s JuJu Watkins Named AP Player of the Year After Historic Sophomore Season

UP NEXT

Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman Lands on Injured List Following Fall in His Shower at Home

UP NEXT

Curry Scores 37 Points and Warriors Beat Lakers in a Potential First-Round Playoff Preview

UP NEXT

LA Fires Death Toll Rises to 30 After Remains Are Found

UP NEXT

Rural California, Reliant on the Trump Administration for Jobs, Braces for Cuts

UP NEXT

Measles Spreads to Central Texas; 5 States Have Active Outbreaks

UP NEXT

Startup Offers Controversial Microplastic Blood Cleansing Treatment

UP NEXT

Pence Will Receive the Profile in Courage Award From the JFK Library for His Actions on Jan. 6

UP NEXT

No More Calling ‘Shotgun?’ CA Could Ban Teens From Riding in Front Seat

UP NEXT

Diehard Baseball Fans in Sacramento Welcome Athletics and Hope They Stay Awhile

The NBA’s Playoff Chase Enters Its Final Days. Here’s a Look at What’s Happening

37 minutes ago

USC’s JuJu Watkins Named AP Player of the Year After Historic Sophomore Season

41 minutes ago

Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman Lands on Injured List Following Fall in His Shower at Home

46 minutes ago

How Trump’s Latest Tariffs Could Affect Your Wallet

55 minutes ago

Curry Scores 37 Points and Warriors Beat Lakers in a Potential First-Round Playoff Preview

55 minutes ago

LA Fires Death Toll Rises to 30 After Remains Are Found

1 hour ago

US Added 228,000 Jobs in March as Economy Showed Strength in Buildup to Trump Trade Wars

1 hour ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Samantha Jenny Audelo

1 hour ago

Russell Brand Charged With Rape, Sexual Assault

2 hours ago

Israeli Military Orders New Evacuation of Gaza City Neighborhoods

2 hours ago

Russia Says Trump’s Threats Against Iran Could Trigger ‘Global Catastrophe’

Moscow has issued a stern warning against President Trump’s recent threats of military action against Iran, calling such rhetoric R...

26 minutes ago

26 minutes ago

Russia Says Trump’s Threats Against Iran Could Trigger ‘Global Catastrophe’

The Fresno Police Department will conduct an enforcement operation on April 7, 2025, to target drivers violating the hands-free cell phone law, aiming to reduce distracted driving. (Shutterstock)
29 minutes ago

Get Off the Phone! Fresno Police Target Distracted Driving

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks during a news conference after the Federal Open Market Committee meeting, Wednesday, March 19, 2025, at the Federal Reserve in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
30 minutes ago

Federal Reserve Chief Says Trump Tariffs Likely to Raise Inflation and Slow US Economic Growth

37 minutes ago

The NBA’s Playoff Chase Enters Its Final Days. Here’s a Look at What’s Happening

41 minutes ago

USC’s JuJu Watkins Named AP Player of the Year After Historic Sophomore Season

46 minutes ago

Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman Lands on Injured List Following Fall in His Shower at Home

A hand-embroidery dress fabric made in India, costing a couple hundred dollars per yard, is sold at the Francia Textiles fabric store in the Fashion District in Los Angeles on Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
55 minutes ago

How Trump’s Latest Tariffs Could Affect Your Wallet

55 minutes ago

Curry Scores 37 Points and Warriors Beat Lakers in a Potential First-Round Playoff Preview

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend