Disneyland and Disney World lay off 28,000 employees amid pandemic struggles - OCR/SCNG

[RollerCoaster]

I feel awful for the folks in California who are suffering under Newsom, especially the service industry and attractions workers. However, I hope voters are aware that one of the candidates in the current election is also openly talking about shutting down the entire country. If this Disneyland news concerns you then I hope you will take this bit of information into consideration with any decisions you have left to make.

 

[drizgirl]

I feel awful for the folks in California who are suffering under Newsom, especially the service industry and attractions workers. However, I hope voters are aware that one of the candidates in the current election is also openly talking about shutting down the entire country. If this Disneyland news concerns you then I hope you will take this bit of information into consideration with any decisions you have left to make.

Already did.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I feel awful for the folks in California who are suffering under Newsom, especially the service industry and attractions workers. However, I hope voters are aware that one of the candidates in the current election is also openly talking about shutting down the entire country. If this Disneyland news concerns you then I hope you will take this bit of information into consideration with any decisions you have left to make.

It’s a good thing Florida reopened and there are no layoffs at Walt Disney World...

 

[Disney Analyst]

Bye Disneyland Twitter team. Thanks for the times.

 

[TP2000]

More bad news. Another set of layoffs are coming to DLR this weekend, according to the LA Times.

Disneyland is more than a job for some workers. A wave of layoffs will hit Sunday

"I’m having a real identity crisis because Disney was such a huge part of who I am,” one worker said.

www.latimes.com

That 28,000 number was only the start. They announced that based solely on the complete closure of Disney's theme park division during Fiscal Quarter Two. Now that Disneyland seems headed for a full year-long closure, likely more like 15 months or more of closure, there will be a lot more layoffs in Anaheim this winter and into spring.

If they are basically operating a small outdoor mall, mostly staffed by third-party contractors, why would they need any more than about 1,000 Cast Members on the payroll in Anaheim?

You can't have a closed business and still pay thousands of people to work at that non-operating business. I know the average college educated Socialist won't understand that, but anyone who has managed any business on par with, or bigger than, a corner donut shop will understand. You can't pay employees to not operate a closed business.

Bye Disneyland Twitter team. Thanks for the times.


View attachment 509580

Well, there's a silver lining. TDA finally fired their last Social Media nobody who did nothing. Good for them for seeing the writing on the wall! Tweeting nonsense out about a non-functioning business is not a promising career. I'm glad TDA has finally recognized that obvious fact into 2021.

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

That 28,000 number was only the start. They announced that based solely on the complete closure of Disney's theme park division during Fiscal Quarter Two. Now that Disneyland seems headed for a full year-long closure, likely more like 15 months or more of closure, there will be a lot more layoffs in Anaheim this winter and into spring.

If they are basically operating a small outdoor mall, mostly staffed by third-party contractors, why would they need any more than about 1,000 Cast Members on the payroll in Anaheim?

You can't have a closed business and still pay thousands of people to work at that non-operating business. I know the average college educated Socialist won't understand that, but anyone who has managed any business on par with, or bigger than, a corner donut shop will understand. You can't pay employees to not operate a closed business.



Well, there's a silver lining. TDA finally fired their last Social Media nobody who did nothing. Good for them for seeing the writing on the wall! Tweeting nonsense out about a non-functioning business is not a promising career. I'm glad TDA has finally recognized that obvious fact into 2021.

Poor Manard. Now who will ruin attractions by trying to become the show?

 

[JustinSt]

That 28,000 number was only the start. They announced that based solely on the complete closure of Disney's theme park division during Fiscal Quarter Two. Now that Disneyland seems headed for a full year-long closure, likely more like 15 months or more of closure, there will be a lot more layoffs in Anaheim this winter and into spring.

If they are basically operating a small outdoor mall, mostly staffed by third-party contractors, why would they need any more than about 1,000 Cast Members on the payroll in Anaheim?

You can't have a closed business and still pay thousands of people to work at that non-operating business. I know the average college educated Socialist won't understand that, but anyone who has managed any business on par with, or bigger than, a corner donut shop will understand. You can't pay employees to not operate a closed business.



Well, there's a silver lining. TDA finally fired their last Social Media nobody who did nothing. Good for them for seeing the writing on the wall! Tweeting nonsense out about a non-functioning business is not a promising career. I'm glad TDA has finally recognized that obvious fact into 2021.

From my understanding from the unions, these 28,000 layoff are based off of locations and jobs that won’t be operational or needed before may 1st 2021. Hence why entertainment took a huge hit.

 

[SuddenStorm]

From my understanding from the unions, these 28,000 layoff are based off of locations and jobs that won’t be operational or needed before may 1st 2021. Hence why entertainment took a huge hit.

Yep- and as the park's opening gets pushed further and further out eventually more layoffs will come.

 

[TP2000]

Yep- and as the park's opening gets pushed further and further out eventually more layoffs will come.

Yes. That first round of layoffs was only based on a fiscal quarter of complete shutdown, and a following quarter of limited capacity.

But now we are realizing there's at least another two fiscal quarters of complete shutdown in Anaheim. More layoffs will have to arrive in Anaheim in the next few months. My only hope is that Burbank can hold out to prevent another 10,000 layoffs in Anaheim until after Christmas, if only for the emotional impact.

 

[SuddenStorm]

Yes. That first round of layoffs was only based on a fiscal quarter of complete shutdown, and a following quarter of limited capacity.

But now we are realizing there's at least another two fiscal quarters of complete shutdown in Anaheim. More layoffs will have to arrive in Anaheim in the next few months. My only hope is that Burbank can hold out to prevent another 10,000 layoffs in Anaheim until after Christmas, if only for the emotional impact.

Disneyland's extended closure and limited reopening is going to decimate Anaheim's economy. To have that many jobs gone... with no path back to normal (per Newsom) there's going to be thousands of residents out of work.

Not to mention the impact such a major shift in Disneyland's workforce will have on the park's operation- Disneyland is literally never going to be like it was in January 2020 again. Ever.

 

[TP2000]

Disneyland's extended closure and limited reopening is going to decimate Anaheim's economy. To have that many jobs gone... with no path back to normal (per Newsom) there's going to be thousands of residents out of work.

Not to mention the impact such a major shift in Disneyland's workforce will have on the park's operation- Disneyland is literally never going to be like it was in January 2020 again. Ever.

Exactly. This is why it appears that Newsom simply wants to get rid of the theme park industry in California.

Just like he wants to get rid of gasoline powered cars. But Newsom can do this in 6 months, instead of waiting for model year 2030 to do it.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

I'm fine.

 

[DavidDL]

One of my close friends just got his lay off notice from the parks. He had been DCA ODV for a few years after suffering through nearly a decade of a retail-type job which had destroyed his back from some of items he was required to lift. He was miserable before and had finally found some happiness working at the resort, he loved it very much. Now that it's gone, he's told me he'll likely be forced back into some form of retail again to pay the bills, since that's all that seems to be reliably hiring at the moment. Needless to say, he's now depressed and I feel just awful and offered to help in any way that I can. I wonder how much longer before other friends of mine get the notice, too.

What I found interesting about the story he told me, though, was that he said the notice he received said his employment would ending on Dec. 31st. Anyone have any idea why this might be? I wonder why Disney wouldn't simply just end it but maybe it's for folks with benefits to hold on to them for a little bit longer and ease the transition? Or maybe it's some sort of misguided hope that they'll have better news and could reverse course for some folks before the end of the year? I doubt that last one, the future looks pretty bleak.

 

[lazyboy97o]

What I found interesting about the story he told me, though, was that he said the notice he received said his employment would ending on Dec. 31st. Anyone have any idea why this might be? I wonder why Disney wouldn't simply just end it but maybe it's for folks with benefits to hold on to them for a little bit longer and ease the transition? Or maybe it's some sort of misguided hope that they'll have better news and could reverse course for some folks before the end of the year? I doubt that last one, the future looks pretty bleak.

There are union agreements and laws that govern mass layoffs. The WARN Act requires 60 days notice.

 

[DavidDL]

There are union agreements and laws that govern mass layoffs. The WARN Act requires 60 days notice.

Understood, thank you!

 

[SuddenStorm]

It sounds like the sets for the Frozen show are being destroyed- and the space is planned to sit empty and unused for the foreseeable future. I actually enjoyed the Frozen show at DCA, so I'm sad to see this go away forever. Not to mention- the performers and crew for the show are now out of work, and those are jobs that aren't coming back at Disney for a while.

Disney Performing Arts is gone.

The Disney College Program and Professional Internship programs are on indefinite hold as well- in Florida they've been removing furniture from their DCP housing facilities. Unsure of what they're doing with Carnegie in Anaheim. I just feel bad for my friends who were accepted this fall, and for those who were hoping to do the program and won't have the opportunity to while in school.

I heard of a senior guest relations manager in WDW who retired- because the hassle of guest complaints by families who booked their WDW vacations last year, only to show up with no entertainment, reduced offerings, and no discount offered by Disney was getting ridiculous. Disney World Guest Relations is woefully unprepared for this- with guest complaints getting escalated to upper levels of management which didn't typically happen before. I wonder how many others will quit/retire, in addition to the layoffs. Also, Disney is cancelling reservations for Disneyland a week or two at a time- because they have no revenue and don't want the financial hit of those refunds. I assume similar reasoning is behind the delayed AP refunds.

The Disney Travel Agents aren't able to book new Disneyland reservations through 2021.

There's very little chance the park opens before June 2021- and with the reduced capacity restrictions there are many, many employees furloughed who won't be needed. And when the park is open- it's going to operate very, very differently both onstage and backstage.

I feel like the public perception is that Disney is cutting their front line workers while the execs are fat and happy on their salary- but Disney's been taking a scalpel to their whole Parks division, with workers at all level of the operation getting cut. I've heard of people who've worked there for decades who's jobs were cut- but would still have a job had they not transferred roles from one they had previously. There's also some survivors guilt going around among those who remain.

 

[Darkbeer1]

Some selected quotes from the LA Times article.

>>Since she was furloughed from her job as a server and sommelier at a Disneyland Resort restaurant, Tina Thomas has struggled to cover her rent with her unemployment checks and is four months behind on her car payments.

On top of that, she is wrestling with dark feelings of loss of a workplace that to her felt more like a home. And then there is the anxiety about when she might return to the job she once hoped would carry her until retirement.

“I’m watching this roller coaster and hoping that it stops soon,” Thomas, 59, said of the last eight months of her life. “It’s so stressful to live this way.”

When California’s theme parks closed in March, employees of Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood and other parks were left in limbo, displaced from jobs through no fault of their own, with no idea when — or if — they would be called back.<<

>>Meanwhile, many theme park staffers are trying to cope with the depression and anxiety brought on by the uncertainty of their circumstances.

“Work was my escape. It was my outlet and I needed to do it,” said Priscilla Miranda, 30, a furloughed stage manager at Universal Studios Hollywood. “It was something that meant a lot for me. When it got taken away and I was home all the time, I got really depressed.”<<

>>Theme park workers in California earn an average annual salary of about $41,000. It’s perks such as free park passes for friends and family and exclusive previews of new attractions that make the jobs so desirable.

Park staffers also boast about the family-fun atmosphere and the close bonds they form with co-workers.<<

>>Theme park workers face the same emotions as other Americans who have been thrown out of work by the pandemic, according to mental health experts.

Our jobs often provide us with purpose and identity plus the companionship of co-workers who can understand the day-to-day heartaches that come with the work, said Vaile Wright, a clinical psychologist and senior director of healthcare innovation for the American Psychological Assn.

“Work is where we spend a majority of our time,” she said. “It gives us routine and structure.”

Wondering when the conditions will allow the parks to reopen adds to the feelings of depression and anxiety, Wright added.

“To have this level of uncertainty, that is what really drives negative emotions,” she said.<<

>>Similarly, Thomas is reluctant to give up on her Disney job, saying she can’t imagine finding a position elsewhere with a tighter group of friends plus enough tips to generate between $200 and $1,000 per shift. She had worked at various restaurants in the Disneyland Resort since 2009, most recently at the Carthay Circle Restaurant at Disney California Adventure Park.<<

 

[mickEblu]

Some selected quotes from the LA Times aerticle.

>>Since she was furloughed from her job as a server and sommelier at a Disneyland Resort restaurant, Tina Thomas has struggled to cover her rent with her unemployment checks and is four months behind on her car payments.

On top of that, she is wrestling with dark feelings of loss of a workplace that to her felt more like a home. And then there is the anxiety about when she might return to the job she once hoped would carry her until retirement.

“I’m watching this roller coaster and hoping that it stops soon,” Thomas, 59, said of the last eight months of her life. “It’s so stressful to live this way.”

When California’s theme parks closed in March, employees of Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood and other parks were left in limbo, displaced from jobs through no fault of their own, with no idea when — or if — they would be called back.<<

>>Meanwhile, many theme park staffers are trying to cope with the depression and anxiety brought on by the uncertainty of their circumstances.

“Work was my escape. It was my outlet and I needed to do it,” said Priscilla Miranda, 30, a furloughed stage manager at Universal Studios Hollywood. “It was something that meant a lot for me. When it got taken away and I was home all the time, I got really depressed.”<<

>>Theme park workers in California earn an average annual salary of about $41,000. It’s perks such as free park passes for friends and family and exclusive previews of new attractions that make the jobs so desirable.

Park staffers also boast about the family-fun atmosphere and the close bonds they form with co-workers.<<

>>Theme park workers face the same emotions as other Americans who have been thrown out of work by the pandemic, according to mental health experts.

Our jobs often provide us with purpose and identity plus the companionship of co-workers who can understand the day-to-day heartaches that come with the work, said Vaile Wright, a clinical psychologist and senior director of healthcare innovation for the American Psychological Assn.

“Work is where we spend a majority of our time,” she said. “It gives us routine and structure.”

Wondering when the conditions will allow the parks to reopen adds to the feelings of depression and anxiety, Wright added.

“To have this level of uncertainty, that is what really drives negative emotions,” she said.<<

>>Similarly, Thomas is reluctant to give up on her Disney job, saying she can’t imagine finding a position elsewhere with a tighter group of friends plus enough tips to generate between $200 and $1,000 per shift. She had worked at various restaurants in the Disneyland Resort since 2009, most recently at the Carthay Circle Restaurant at Disney California Adventure Park.<<

$200 -$1000 in tips per shift? She must be working at 21 Royal not Cathay.

 

[Darkbeer1]

$200 -$1000 in tips per shift? She must be working at 21 Royal not Cathay.

Heck, CM's can easily make that at Storytellers. Remember that many folks are tipping 20% on the high Disney prices. So a $40 buffet meal is about $8 in tips. Serve 25 guests per hour and you are there, and early morning meals mean quick turnover as the guests want to get to the parks.

 

[Darkbeer1]

Let's look at it another way.

A server works a 6 Hour Shift, Sells $500 of food/drink per hour, that is just 4 tables of 4 guests each, with an average of $31.25 per guest.

$450 per shift at 15% tip rate. Increase the percentage to 20% and an 8 hour shift = $800

So very doable. And think about a bartender at Trader Sam's.

Add to that $15 per hour in wages, plus good benefits. So 6 hours $450 in tips plus $90 in wages, equals $540 or $90 per hour!

No wonder that a large group of tipped CM's at the DLR Hotels make 6 figures after tips. Servers, bartenders, Valets, Bell Caps and more. Yes, they work hard, deal with problem guests, but in many cases, the server is making more per year than the person being served.

And UNITE HERE claims how little their members make, but their numbers are always without tips!