Disneyland Resort Furloughs 1,800 More Workers Amid Park Shutdown
ANAHEIM, CA — According to a report published Tuesday, nearly 1,800 more Disneyland Resort employees were furloughed during the Disneyland Resort theme park closure.
A total of 1,797 layoffs are part of the large number originally announced in October, were disclosed in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notice, according to a report in the Orange County Register. The newest worker layoff term is Nov. 23 through Feb. 21 and includes landscapers, engineers, painters, plasterers, and custodians as well as entertainment, restaurant and attraction cast members. The park has also furloughed 18 firefighters dedicated to the resort.
It takes a village to run the Disneyland Resort, which typically employs a small-city's worth of workers. Disneyland Resort shuttered the resort in March amid the growing coronavirus pandemic when Gov. Newsom initiated statewide stay-at-home orders. The corporation laid off over 37,000 workers across the U.S.A in early October when it became clear reopening wasn't in the cards.
Over 11,500 of those laid off worked as employees of Disneyland Resort, accordingto a report from the OC Register.
For much of the summer, Disneyland remained the sole Walt Disney Co. property still closed. In recent weeks, both Hong Kong and Disneyland Paris have closed once again due to a spike in coronavirus worldwide.
On Nov. 19, Disney California Adventure partially reopened for dining and shopping, as stores and restaurants on Buena Vista Street welcomed guests for the Christmas season. All theme park rides remain shut down for the foreseeable future. The trio of Walt Disney Co. owned hotels also remain closed, with only Disney Grand Californian Hotel & Spa villas scheduled to re-open to Disney Vacation Club members on Dec. 6 as of this report.
Disneyland President Ken Potrock informed employees last month that "an undisclosed number of workers" would be furloughed over the winter.
"Our thoughts go out to these employees and all who've been impacted by the coronavirus economic downturn," Anaheim chief communications officer Mike Lyster said.
"While it is all hands on deck right now as we deal with a renew surge in cases, this is a reminder why we need a plan for the economic recovery that provides a realistic reopening roadmap for Anaheim's theme parks when the time is right."
Anaheim businesses, hotels and the Convention Center, in and around Disneyland Resort, have suffered deep losses due to the closures that stem from Gov. Newsom's Blueprint for a Safer Economy. In that plan, theme parks the size of Disneyland would not be able to reopen until the county reaches the Yellow Tier, or minimal coronavirus infections.
Patch has reached out for a response from Disneyland officials and will update this report with an answer when received.
Read also:
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This article originally appeared on the Mission Viejo Patch
