
Walt Disney World will temporarily furlough 43,000 employees at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando effective April 19, President of Unite Here Union Eric Clinton said in a video address on Sunday.
Clinton is president of one of six unions in the Service Trades Council Union that represents 43,000 cast members at Walt Disney World.
“This is a decision that the union doesn’t like, however, it’s within the company’s right to lay-off and furlough employees in this situation,” he said.
“Disney has reached agreements with several unions for hourly cast members that will maintain members’ health insurance benefits coverage, educational support and additional employee assistance programs during a temporary furlough effective April 19,” a statement from a Disney spokesperson reads.
Clinton explained that the union secured a historic agreement that “provides healthcare for 12 months to any Disney cast member that currently has health care at no cost to them at all.”
“These agreements provide an easier return to work when our community recovers from the impact of Covid-19. We are grateful to have worked together in good faith to help our cast and members navigate these unprecedented times,” the statement from Disney reads.