Walt Disney World to Lay Off 8,800 Part-Time Employees

Last month, Disney Parks chairman Josh D'Amaro announced that the company had made the decision to lay off upwards of 28,000 employees at its domestic theme parks and now there are some more details about how those layoffs will break down. According to Deadline, as part of those 28,000 layoffs Walt Disney World will lay off 8857 part-time union employees. This news comes after Disney notified the state of Florida that it would also be laying off 6700 non-union Disney World employees as of December 4th. The total between the layoffs account for 20 percent of the Walt Disney Resort workforce.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, both Disney and the Services Trades Council Union have indicated that no full-time union employees will lose their jobs.

"As incredibly difficult as it is to take this action, this agreement helps us preserve many full-time jobs," Disney spokeswoman Andrea Finger said in a statement. "For those affected by this decision, we thank you for all your dedication. While we don't know when the pandemic will be behind us, we are confident in our resilience, and we hope to welcome back Cast Members when we can."

These layoffs come at a time when things remain uncertain for theme park. In September, Walt Disney world cut hours at three of their four amusement parks due to reduced attendance while in California, Disneyland has not been allowed to reopen yet at all -- a situation that is unlikely to change in the near future. On Wednesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom told press that they would be "stubborn" about releasing guidelines for re-opening theme parks in the state.

"We don't anticipate, in the immediate term, any of these larger theme parks opening until we see more stability in terms of the data. We're going to be stubborn about it, and that's our commitment, that's our resolve. While we feel there's no hurry putting out guidelines, we're continuing to work with the industry."

Two weeks ago, the Chairman of Disney Parks called on the state to work with them to make it happen. In two words, D'Amaro said it all, "It's time."

"For communities such as Anaheim and Orange County, CA, Disneyland Resort is a crucial part of the economy," D'Amaro said at the time. "To our California government officials, particularly at the state level, I encourage you to treat theme parks like you would other sectors and help us reopen. We need guidelines that are fair and equitable, so that we can better understand our future and chart a path toward reopening. The longer we wait, the more devastating the impact will be to Orange County and the Anaheim community."

What do you think about this latest update regarding Disney Parks? Let us know in the comments.