Last week Disney announced that 28,000 Disney Parks employees would be laid off due to continued economic woes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the news rocked the theme park community with emotions ranging from fear to anger to confusion. Since this announcement we have been getting small glimpses into where exactly these lay offs are coming from.
We reported that over 400 imagineers and thousands of restaurant and hotel staff were being let go. Today we can report that nearly 2,000 layoffs will be coming from Teamsters Union Local 295. This group represents park security, meet and greet character actors, and ride operators.
The picture is slowly becoming clearer as to where these layoffs are coming from and the clearer picture indicates the answer is, everywhere. Employees that work in the parks in both Anaheim and Orlando are being hit, Imagineers in Glendale are too, security guards, hotel staff, restaurant workers, and character actors have all been impacted. There are still many layoffs to be announced, as the total that has been announced has yet to hit 28,000.
The DisInsider will continue to monitor this story and we continue to send our love and support to the Cast Members who have lost their job and to those that are left waiting for an answer. We know that working for Disney Parks is not just a job, it is a dream, and these past few weeks have been a real nightmare. We hope that, once the parks can reopen and crowds return throughout the next year, Disney will rehire these talented and hardworking employees back.
