Disney Parks laying off 28,000 cast members

[New Mouse]

Political discussion is not allowed. That’s pretty clear.

"But only if I say it is."

 

[SierraT]

I am so glad I got to see him on my last trip. He was an institution! It's so sad. I hope if things ever get back to onormal he can return (along with many, many others).

I’ve been pretty accepting of all the changes due to the current situation, but this one really breaks my heart. Hubby and I used to see him every year. So so sad.

 

[CastAStone]

Here’s the best as I’ve been able to figure it:

politicians talking about Disney from either side = news

Us talking about Disney = OK

Us talking about Disney reacting to politicians without inserting our own commentary on said politicians = OK

Us talking about how specific policy changes will affect Disney = case by case

Us talking about politicians or debating the merits of specific policies = bad

 

[rteetz]

"But only if I say it is."

Telling me how to do my job isn’t exactly great either.

Posting a tweet from a politician does not necessarily mean political discussion to me. The closure of Disneyland and the now 28,000 layoffs have huge impacts across several areas. But please continue to tell me I’m wrong here.

 

[rteetz]

Here’s the best as I’ve been able to figure it:

politicians talking about Disney from either side = news

Us talking about Disney = OK

Us talking about Disney reacting to politicians without inserting our own commentary on said politicians = OK

Us talking about how specific policy changes will affect Disney = case by case

Us talking about politicians or debating the merits of specific policies = bad

This is fair. I think I’m something like this situation politics play a role no matter how you spin it. Disney themselves brought in the politics in their announcement of the layoffs. Like you said though discussion of politicians and what their policies are good or bad is not something we really can discuss.

 

[fla4fun]

The more I read, the more it feels like the layoffs are hitting hard in the live entertainment area and particularly those resorts which are not opening soon. I was very sad to read about Yehaa Bob, but with POR closed indefinitely, I understand why his position, and others who worked at that hotel, could be cut. Now, the Poly luau cast has been mentioned, and Poly isn’t reopening for several months. Just sad.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Layoffs were coming no matter what...
More layoffs came because CA wouldn't open...
How much is one and how much is the other is gonna be impossible to know...
If I was guessing, the layoffs would be 1/2 as big if CA opened b/c they would need a staff there in a significant quantity (more than the skeleton level they are probably keeping).
But 14,000 vs 28,000 - both numbers suck, just one sucks more...

 

[RamblingMad]

What I don’t get is how Universal has avoided the same fate.

 

[rteetz]

What I don’t get is how Universal has avoided the same fate.

They did have some layoffs already. They may have more. Yet to be seen. Comcast did tend to be in a slightly better position than Disney overall.

 

[HashberryOTG]

I think we all agree this is awful news. But I don't think blaming Disney is fair. They didn't end up in this situation due to poor leadership. It was a pandemic. The fact that so many employees were furloughed with paid insurance for so long is amazing. Did anyone expect that could go on forever? When it's time to hire again, they will hire again. Until then, they needed to cut some corners. I believe the unions had something to do with all this, some for good, some for bad. But that's definitely political!

I am particularly sad about some of these musician groups. I love to hear them!

 

[randumb0]

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/bus...0200930-zdr2gxxsr5hm5ibetbc26v2ye4-story.html

 

[rteetz]

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/bus...0200930-zdr2gxxsr5hm5ibetbc26v2ye4-story.html

This reportedly includes Photopass CMs and additional entertainment.

 

[tlmadden73]

The more I read, the more it feels like the layoffs are hitting hard in the live entertainment area and particularly those resorts which are not opening soon. I was very sad to read about Yehaa Bob, but with POR closed indefinitely, I understand why his position, and others who worked at that hotel, could be cut. Now, the Poly luau cast has been mentioned, and Poly isn’t reopening for several months. Just sad.

Right .. it's actually surprising some of these jobs lasted this long.

It will just take even longer now to get back to normal, not that it was going to be like a light switch after this extended more than the original 2 weeks --- Even if Disney lifted all restrictions at WDW tomorrow, they either wouldn't have the staff to handle the influx of guests OR they wouldn't have the influx of guests due to decreased demand for tourism (due to their own financial issues).

It's up to us (those of us who are lucky to be able to work from home/office and still have our income) to do what we've been doing (or want to do sooner than later): Go to Disney despite the pandemic. How many 10s of thousands of guests have gone to WDW in some form since July safely? The virus isn't spreading like wildfire due to theme parks being opened as originally feared. Whether that is due to the restrictions or just the fact that a lot of it is outside doesn't matter.

What matters is we can build up the demand for the tourist industry again by going .. by following the rules/restrictions .. by being safe and then sharing our experiences with others (in forums like these) so THEY feel confident doing the same in the future.

That will help these people get their jobs back .. it just unfortunately won't happen overnight.

 

[sabrecmc]

Sad to hear, but it was inevitable. Many other industries, especially travel-related, will have to do the same. It just isn't realistic to keep them furloughed when there is no legitimate expectation they will be called to return. Unfortunately, I think that the economy, especially particular sectors, will take years to recover. I was reading an article recently about how long it will take for a vaccine to reach the level of immunity needed to return to something like normal and it will likely not happen in just a couple of months. That's just not realistic for a business like Disney to keep employees hanging on virtually indefinitely.

 

[skeeter31]

Right .. it's actually surprising some of these jobs lasted this long.

It will just take even longer now to get back to normal, not that it was going to be like a light switch after this extended more than the original 2 weeks --- Even if Disney lifted all restrictions at WDW tomorrow, they either wouldn't have the staff to handle the influx of guests OR they wouldn't have the influx of guests due to decreased demand for tourism (due to their own financial issues).

It's up to us (those of us who are lucky to be able to work from home/office and still have our income) to do what we've been doing (or want to do sooner than later): Go to Disney despite the pandemic. How many 10s of thousands of guests have gone to WDW in some form since July safely? The virus isn't spreading like wildfire due to theme parks being opened as originally feared. Whether that is due to the restrictions or just the fact that a lot of it is outside doesn't matter.

What matters is we can build up the demand for the tourist industry again by going .. by following the rules/restrictions .. by being safe and then sharing our experiences with others (in forums like these) so THEY feel confident doing the same in the future.

That will help these people get their jobs back .. it just unfortunately won't happen overnight.

I think a LOT of the guests since July have been locals who have gone repeatedly during that time. Not that true travelers aren’t coming, but I would wager to guess that 60-70% of the guests since July have been within a 2 hour drive and have been more than 2-3 times during these past 2 and a half months.

 

[DisneynBison]

When drastic actions have been taken for months expect drastic consequences.

 

[Farro]

We still plan to come next Spring!

 

[jknezek]

Here’s the best as I’ve been able to figure it:

politicians talking about Disney from either side = news

Us talking about Disney = OK

Us talking about Disney reacting to politicians without inserting our own commentary on said politicians = OK

Us talking about how specific policy changes will affect Disney = case by case

Us talking about politicians or debating the merits of specific policies = bad

This is one of the more cogent and useful summaries I've seen about this sticky topic in boards. Seems about right to me.

 

[disneyseniors]

As Bob Jackson said, Well there it is I'm done!
And another wonderful tradition at WDW is gone. First the GF Orchestra and now Bob????
Disney is slowly removing the little magical touches that made disneyworld what it is today. Those no charge extra touches were so special and made you want to visit again and again.
PO is our favorite resort and we've been fortunate to see Bob a few times. It was special to have that level of entertainment at our resort. I know many, many guests at other resorts made a special trip to see Bob.
I don't know what they are thinking in getting rid of all the extra magical touches. Pretty soon the GF and POR will be like any other generic hotel with no distinguishing touches.

 

[BrianL]

As Bob Jackson said, Well there it is I'm done!
And another wonderful tradition at WDW is gone. First the GF Orchestra and now Bob????
Disney is slowly removing the little magical touches that made disneyworld what it is today. Those no charge extra touches were so special and made you want to visit again and again.
PO is our favorite resort and we've been fortunate to see Bob a few times. It was special to have that level of entertainment at our resort. I know many, many guests at other resorts made a special trip to see Bob.
I don't know what they are thinking in getting rid of all the extra magical touches. Pretty soon the GF and POR will be like any other generic hotel with no distinguishing touches.

I don't think they would be getting rid of so much if it weren't for the pandemic. I know they've cut some entertainment in the past, but they have tried some new things too - seemingly less popular but still. I doubt Bob would have been let go if not for the extreme circumstances we find ourselves in. POR isn't even operating right now, right? Hopefully they can bring some back at some point.