Disney World & Disneyland Laying Off 28,000 Cast Members
The Walt Disney Company has announced the layoffs of 28,000 Cast Members at Walt Disney World and Disneyland. This follows the temporary furlough of employees back in April, many of whom did not return to work when the Florida parks & resorts reopened over the summer.
This is the latest in a long line of layoffs throughout the hospitality and tourism industries that has spiked the unemployment rate to over 11% in Florida’s Orange and Osceola Counties. Two weeks ago, the Swan and Dolphin Resorts announced plans to lay off 1,136 workers in November 2020 due to “historically low hotel occupancy and mounting event cancellations [that] will extend into 2021.”
Prior to that, SeaWorld Orlando permanently laid off 1,900 workers who had been on temporary furloughs at its theme parks, and Universal Orlando extended unpaid furloughs for 5,400 people. Other layoffs have occurred in waves at the theme parks and resorts across Central Florida. However, today is the first major layoff by Walt Disney World or Disneyland since the Great Recession…
In a press release, Josh D’Amaro, Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products attributed the layoffs to the prolonged uncertainty and impact of the pandemic, exacerbated in California by the State’s unwillingness to lift restrictions that would allow Disneyland to reopen.
D’Amaro further said that Disney has been forced to make a number of necessary adjustments to its business, and “as difficult as this decision is today, we believe that the steps we are taking will enable us to emerge a more effective and efficient operation when we return to normal.”
Here’s D’Amaro’s full statement:
And below is the email sent out to Cast Members, which was also included in the press release:
I write this note to you today to share some difficult decisions that we have had to make regarding our Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products organization.
Let me start with my belief that the heart and soul of our business is and always will be people. Just like all of you, I love what I do. I also love being surrounded by people who think about their roles as more than jobs, but as opportunities to be a part of something special, something different, and something truly magical.
Earlier this year, in response to the pandemic, we were forced to close our businesses around the world. Few of us could have imagined how significantly the pandemic would impact us — both at work and in our daily lives. We initially hoped that this situation would be short-lived, and that we would recover quickly and return to normal. Seven months later, we find that has not been the case. And, as a result, today we are now forced to reduce the size of our team across executive, salaried, and hourly roles.
As you can imagine, a decision of this magnitude is not easy. For the last several months, our management team has worked tirelessly to avoid having to separate anyone from the company. We’ve cut expenses, suspended capital projects, furloughed our cast members while still paying benefits, and modified our operations to run as efficiently as possible, however, we simply cannot responsibly stay fully staffed while operating at such limited capacity.
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.
Thank you for your dedication, patience and understanding during these difficult times. I know that these changes will be challenging. It will take time for all of us to process this information and its impact. We will be scheduling appointments with our affected salaried and non-union hourly employees over the next few days. Additionally, today we will begin the process of discussing next steps with unions. We encourage you to visit The Hub or the WDI Homepage for any support you may need.
For those who will be affected by this decision, I want to thank you for all that you have done for our company and our guests. While we don’t know when the pandemic will be behind us, we are confident in our resilience, and hope to welcome back Cast Members and employees when we can.
As for commentary, we will start by saying that our hearts go out to the Cast Members, their families and friends who are both directly and indirectly impacted by these layoffs. I cannot fathom how stressful and filled with uncertainty the last several months have been, and to have this happen on top of everything else must just be devastating. Words only mean so much, but we are truly heartbroken by this news.
Along those lines, to all of the Walt Disney World and Disneyland fans reading this, please have empathy and courtesy when interacting with Cast Members in the coming days, weeks, and months. This should always go without saying, but is especially true now. Lingering uncertainty remains, and no Cast Member is truly “unaffected” by this. Everyone will be losing friends and colleagues, and will likely be asked to shoulder more of the weight. When in doubt, always err on the side of kindness.
Beyond that, I wish I could say this is a surprise. Given the low occupancy numbers and slow-going of the reopening at Walt Disney World coupled with Disneyland remaining closed, this was an inevitability. With that said, I do think it’s petty and in poor taste for Disney to take another thinly-veiled shot at California in the opening lines of what should be a heartfelt statement expressing the difficulty of the decision. It’s undoubtedly true that California’s onerous new tier system has exacerbated this; just because something is true doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to say in the moment.
Moreover, Disney will have to file notices of the layoffs with both California and Florida. When those inevitably reveal that ~20,000 of the laid of Cast Members are in Florida, that’s going to make that scapegoating look disingenuous. I also would not (and do not) blame Florida for the layoffs, nor do I blame any government or corporation for the difficult decisions being made right now.
This is especially true in the hospitality and tourism sectors, which are being absolutely devastated. That’s true all around the country, and all around the globe. Irrespective of the response by leaders, nowhere has emerged unscathed. It’s easy to Monday morning quarterback this, but I do not envy anyone tasked with making any of these moves. It’s a veritable buffet of least-bad choices. Even equipped with better knowledge, there’s no way of knowing today what unintended consequences will result from any decision.
Ultimately, this is really sad news for all involved. I know there’s the inclination to critique decisions and what could’ve or should’ve been done differently by Disney, but I’m not in the mood for that when it comes to such a consequential topic. These are the jobs of 28,000 people. The real world impact of this is colossal on those individuals and their families, and again, I cannot fathom how devastating this must be.
Knowing how this is going to impact all of these people–and ripple throughout Anaheim and Orlando–makes me sick to my stomach. I’m just tired of all this and am desperately hoping for some good news that results in a bounce back so more jobs aren’t lost. For ways you can assist, please read our Help Give Back to Disney Cast Members & Community.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Have any thoughts or comments on the news of layoffs at Walt Disney World and Disneyland? Do you agree or disagree with any of our assessment? Please keep the comments civil and exercise empathy. This is not the place for arguing about economics, politics, and so forth—all such comments will be deleted, irrespective of perspective. You are not going to change anyone’s mind via the comments section on this blog.
Well stated Tom!
Hey Tom, if you come across any legitimate kickstarters or anything to help give some financial support to fired cast members, would you please share them? I want to help and don’t really know how.
I’m sorry this has happened. But Newsom really does deserve some of the blame. WDW has been open for 2 1/2 months now. UO for four months. Dozens of other theme parks across the country for months. Zero reported cases from theme parks. ZERO. Yet Newsom digs in, and keeps them closed. No guidance. No reopening plan. And now here we are. It’s truly awful, especially when there was a different outcome where fewer – especially in California – would have been negatively impacted.
Yep. I seriously do not understand his end-game here. He seems to think California’s economy is invincible. Super frustrating.
Thanks, Tom. I so much appreciate your heartfelt message and commentary. I’m praying for all the lives and families impacted. I have friends who were employed with other tourism companies and who are also completely disrupted and looking for work. I know I’ve been disappointed by some of the decisions around entertainment and dining at Disney World, but this news sure makes me think again. I’ll get some grief for this next statement… but it almost makes me just want to make a visit near-term to WDW to support what was once there.
Wow that’s a really big hit to so many people. I hope people can find other forms of employment. This is not good for the economy to find some kind of recovery. It feels like real hope for Disney to get back to normal has vanished. Theoretically speaking if the CEO’s and all the highest paid, could that have changed this outcome?
Two of our daughters were blessed to be in the College Program. My heart broke for all those students who were sent home earlier in the year and now again for each CM and family affected by this awful news. We’ve had so many wonderful interactions over the last 33 years of Disney trips – the waitress at Hollywood & Vine who, upon learning of our youngest’s tummy bug, moved us closer to the restroom doors and brought her toast and ginger ale; “Singing Marty” on the Fort Wilderness boat who left his break just to come sing Happy Birthday to my MIL on her 89th; Princess Aurora at the France courtyard who twirled our then-4yr.-old granddaughter and put a lipstick kiss on her cheek. I could go on and on. Cast Members are truly what sets Disney apart from any other vacation and why we’ll continue to go back. God bless each of them for all the Magical Moments!!
“Cast Members are truly what sets Disney apart from any other vacation and why we’ll continue to go back.”
Yes they are–and thanks for sharing those stories!
I agree whole heartedly. CMs are the wonderful glue in the magic that sticks in our memories of the visits we make to WDW or Disneyland. Tom, if you can pass along the thanks to all of the folks you know who are working for Disney. Hopefully, the virus will be conquered soon and entertainment businesses will come back to their full strenght.
Here’s a thought form the other side of the story. Josh D’amaro did not just hastily push out this statement. He thought long and hard about what he needed to say, and let’s face it, California is failing at maintaining their economy. There is no balance there, it’s just shut down, and their leaders are financially ruining the lives of their constituents. I believe Josh did what he felt was necessary for the public to understand the reasoning behind the layoffs, and the main reason is the shuttering of Disneyland Resort for over 7 months. Good for him for telling the truth, and not giving Newsom a break, when he is at complete fault for this.
I have a hard time understanding how the Governor of California is at “complete fault” for layoffs in Florida at Walt Disney World.
I can totally understand how Disney and Anaheim are frustrated about the lack of guidelines from California. Even there, I have a hard time with the claim that Newsom is totally to blame. Disneyland could’ve adapted to the circumstances and opened in some limited capacity, like Knott’s has done to great success.
TaJ – do you live in California?
Thank you for reminding everyone that there are no good choices here. We can pick apart the choices being made here. The truth is there are no great options right now.
Two of our daughters were blessed to be in the College Program at WDW. My heart broke for all those students who were sent home earlier in the year, and now breaks again for these CM’s and their families. We’ve encountered so many wonderful ones – like “Singing Marty” on the boat from Fort Wilderness who left his break to come sing “Happy Birthday” to my MIL on her 89th. Or the waitress who moved our table closer to the restrooms at Hollywood & Vine when our youngest had an upset tummy and brought her ginger ale and toast. And Princess Aurora who danced and twirled our granddaughter, then 4, and gave a lipstick kiss on the cheek which she didn’t want to wash off. Just so many great memories! Cast members are truly what sets Disney apart from any other vacation and why we’ll continue to visit!
Whoops this was my first draft! Sorry!! Didn’t realize I’d posted it.
I know some cast members who already left Florida and returned to their home states. I know of others who took early retirement. They must have seen the writing on the wall.
I’m afraid the long term effects of the pandemic are going to be a bit longer than first thought. The Disney experience has been seriously diluted and because of this and other obvious reasons, travel is down. Those of us who have trips coming up this year and next will find out how this will affect the guest experience. I have a feeling we’re going to be disappointed.
This is sad news, especially whenever anyone loses their jobs. However, Tishman Realty & Construction Corporation and MetLife own the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin. Marriott International, Inc. manages the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin. I am not certain these are Disney employees.
The Disney Cast Members are among the best in the business in terms of their hospitality and effort. A sad day when they lose their job.
This is awful.
That is so many families.
So very sad. I’m so sorry for all of the employees and their families
Thanks for this sad and disappointing, but important, news. We are headed to WDW in a week for a few days after cancelling our summer trips. You can be sure that we will treat the CMs with respect and courtesy – as we always do. This will all turn around someday, but I hope that Orlando and Anaheim can weather the storm for another year. Despite Gov. DeSantis pressing for a full opening of everything, it will be until next summer, at least, until truly full opening is safe.
Next summer? You folks need to get your heads out of the sand down there and have a closer, critical look at what is going on around you. Until there are mass vaccinations, a Disney vacation is about as useful as two tits on a bull.
Mass vaccinations that tens of thousands will refuse to get. Just like they do with flu and other vaccinations. Vaccinations will not stop COVID.
This is so sad, and I hope that someday things will turn around. Thank You as always for letting us know what is going on. And how you feel!!
Human tragedy. There aren’t enough jobs left in tourism to absorb all the people who find themselves unemployed.
I hope they will still have a spot at Disney (if they want) when the resorts see better days.
I also thought the dig at California was uncalled for. They could have made an equally qualified jab at DeSantis for making Florida seem unsafe to tourists. It wouldn’t change the outcome.
My heart goes out to all the cast members who are Disney!! When I go every year they make my day! They are so courteous, professional and always go out of their way to make your Disney Vacation a Dream come true. God bless each and every castmember.
Very well said Tom. Certainly our hearts are with these folks who are losing their jobs. 🙁
Thank you for your empathy and kindness