The Disneyland Resort has reached agreements with unions representing around 11,000 Cast Members ahead of its reopening. This news comes as the reopening date for Disneyland and Disney California Adventure has been pushed back past its original target of July 17th. This is also true now for the two hotels at the Disneyland Resort that were expected to reopen on July 23rd. This agreement is a key part of bringing furloughed Cast Members back to the Disneyland Resort for reopening after being closed due to COVID-19.
The agreement that Disney has signed is with 20 different unions the Disneyland Resort said in a statement. “The signed agreement details plans that include enhanced safety protocols that will allow us to responsibly reopen and get thousands of our cast members back to work,” the statement said.
Unions represent 28,000 or the 31,000 Cast Members at the Disneyland Resort. Unions involved with this agreement are the Teamsters Local 495, United Service Workers West and United Food and Commercial Workers Local 324.
According to the Orange County Register, this deal will have Cast Members doing an at-home COVID-19 assessment before they come to work. They will be provided a thermometer for this. They will also be assessed at work. If a Cast Member tests positive for COVID-19, they will be given two weeks of sick pay to recover. Cast Members that also work within 6 feet of guests will be provided with a plastic face shield. The agreement also stipulates that full and part-time Cast Members must be called back to work before college program Cast Members.
While there is a deal in place here, there is still a long way to go. Unions are still demanding that additional safety protocols be put in place ahead of the reopening of the Disneyland Resort. A protest is being organized on June 27th around the outside of the Disneyland Resort. Disneyland maintains that the safety of its Cast Members is paramount.
“The safety and wellbeing of our cast members and guests are at the forefront of our planning, and we look forward to continued dialogue with our unions on the extensive health and safety protocols, following guidance from public health experts, which we plan to implement as we move toward our proposed, phased reopening,” a Disney statement said.
The Disneyland Resort has been closed since March due to the coronavirus. Originally, the resort had proposed reopening the parks on July 17th and two hotels on July 23rd. However, the state of California announced that it would be giving guidance on reopening theme parks after the 4th of July which necessitated the Disneyland Resort to push back its reopening date. At this time, the Downtown Disney District is the only thing with a reopening date. This will happen on July 9th.
