Disneyland Unions Planning to Protest Reopening

As the Walt Disney Company marches toward reopening dates for their theme parks across the globe, employees have begun to push back against those plans in an effort to preserve guest and worker safety. Now the Disneyland Unions have formerly begun to organize a protest against the Anaheim resort’s reopening, with the Coalition of Resort Labor Unions publishing a letter for California Governor Gavin Newsom. The protest is set to begin on Saturday, with a caravan of union members circling the resort in an effort to raise awareness about their safety concerns.

Within the CRLU’s letter to Newsom, the group expressed concerns about Disney’s plans for a phased reopening of Disneyland, Disney’s California Adventure, and the multiple hotels that make up the resort.

“Unfortunately, despite intensive talks with the company, we are not yet convinced that it is safe to reopen the parks on Disney’s rapid timetable.”

Disney Parks chief medical officer Dr. Pamela Hymel posted a message to the site’s official blog, indicating that there are no plans to reconsider their plans for the phased reopening.

“We’re taking a multi-pronged approach to our reopening, after considering the guidance of various governmental authorities and health agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and recommendations from our team of health and safety experts. We’re also actively working with industry groups and research universities to discuss best practices.”

She added, “At both parks, this includes reducing capacity; temperature checks for guests prior to entering our theme parks; increasing cleaning and disinfecting, especially in high-traffic areas; adjusting experiences to accommodate physical distancing; requiring face coverings for guests 2 and older; and empowering our guests with options like contactless payments and easy access to handwashing and hand sanitizer locations.”

The Downtown Disney District, the first section of the resort scheduled to re-open, will utilize physical distancing across the campus. Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel and Disney Vacation Club Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa are scheduled to reopen on July 23 date pending approval from regulatory agencies.

The CRLU’s protest is currently set to begin at 10am PT on Saturday, June 27th at the Disneyland Resort campus.

[h/t THR]