Theme Park Fan Petitions for Disney to Reverse Mass Layoffs

With the recent news of Disney having to layoff 28,000 Cast Members, many have voiced their opinions on the ongoing situation. Now, one fan in particular is taking a stand regarding the mass layoff.

In case you missed it, on September 29, Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Josh D’Amaro released a statement which announced the unfortunate news that tens of thousands of Disney Cast Members will be laid off:

In light of the prolonged impact of COVID-19 on our business, including limited capacity due to physical distancing requirements and the continued uncertainty regarding the duration of the pandemic – exacerbated in California by the State’s unwillingness to lift restrictions that would allow Disneyland to reopen – we have made the very difficult decision to begin the process of reducing our workforce at our Parks, Experiences and Products segment at all levels, having kept non-working Cast Members on furlough since April, while paying healthcare benefits. Approximately 28,000 domestic employees will be affected, of which about 67% are part-time. We are talking with impacted employees as well as to the unions on next steps for union-represented Cast Members. 

Over the past several months, we’ve been forced to make a number of necessary adjustments to our business, and as difficult as this decision is today, we believe that the steps we are taking will enable us to emerge a more effective and efficient operation when we return to normal. Our Cast Members have always been key to our success, playing a valued and important role in delivering a world-class experience, and we look forward to providing opportunities where we can for them to return.

Though this is extremely heartbreaking and unfortunate for so many, this news is not only upsetting the Cast Members who are being affected. The outpour of support from Disney fans, Guests, friends, and family members all around the world has taken over social media as posts are shared showing the love and appreciation for all those who have helped create magical memories day in and day out.

Recently, a petition has surfaced, which demands that the company reconsider the mass Disney layoffs to help save the jobs of the 28,000 Cast Members impacted.

Below is the official description of the petition:

Disney Announced on September 29th, 2020 that they will lay off 28,000 Cast Members in an effort to save money. What’s even the point? They are worth over 200 BILLION, so if they lose money over paying cast members, it’s money they can afford to lose. 28,000 people will lose their jobs soon and might starve to death or just run out of money.

I encourage everyone to let Disney know this behavior will not fly. If Cast Members can sign this too, that would be great also. Let Disney know that their greedy tyranny has gone too far, and they should let the Cast Members keep their jobs. One signature = One Cast Member’s life saved.

You can check out the petition for yourself by clicking here.

Note that at this time, Disney has not responded to this petition or other claims regarding the layoffs.

With the layoff notices continuing to go out each day since the announcement, many Cast Members feel as though they are just waiting for the bad news. Approximately 28,000 Disney Cast Members across Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort will be laid off. In total, Disney has 220,000 employees across the entire company.

Our thoughts are with all of those Cast Members who are being affected by this wave of layoffs. If you are looking for ways to help these Cast Members, check out our resource article here.