Unions representing Disney workers want the reopening of Disneyland delayed.
“Despite intensive talks with the company, we are not yet convinced that it is safe to reopen the parks on Disney’s rapid timetable,” the coalition of a dozen unions, representing approximately 17,000 workers, said in an open letter to California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Disney has provided some information and altered plans based on feedback from the unions but hasn’t answered other questions, including concerns about testing employees, the unions said.
“Moreover, Disney has rejected or not yet responded to important safety proposals made by” the unions that make up the coalition, the Coalition of Resort Labor Unions said.
“Therefore, at this point we do not know if the resort can be operated safely.”
Disney plans on reopening the downtown Disney district on July 9, Disneyland on July 17, and two Disney hotels in the area on July 23.
But the reopenings are pending approval by state and local government officials, Disney said in a statement earlier this month.
The Disney facilities are located in Anaheim, California, near Los Angeles. Like some other regions of the country, officials have recently seen a rise in new CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus cases but a drop in the number of patients hospitalized.
Separately, a petition calling for Disneyland to reopen at a later date has garnered over 45,000 signatures. The anonymous person who started the petition claims that reopening next month “is irresponsible and greedy.”
Dr. Pamela Hymel, Disney Parks chief medical officer, said in a letter to customers after the union letter was made public that Disney parks in the United States were among the first to close and will be among the last to reopen.
The approach to reopening takes into account guidance from government agencies and health officials, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
At Disneyland and Disney World, measures include capping the number of people allowed into the park at one time, checking the temperatures of everyone entering, and increasing cleaning and disinfecting.
“As exciting as this moment is for all of us, we are still in the early days of our phased approach,” she wrote. “We will continue to monitor the situation and make adjustments based on the guidance of local government and health authorities. And in the coming weeks, we will share additional details about the policies and procedures that our guests can expect when we reopen our domestic theme parks.”
