The Walt Disney Co., Central Florida’s largest employer, is requiring all of its non-union hourly and salaried employees across the U.S. to get the coronavirus vaccine.
Staffers who work on-site will have 60 days from Friday to complete getting vaccinated, and those who work from home will need to provide verification of vaccination before returning to work with certain limited exceptions, an unsigned statement released by the company on Friday said. New hires will need to be fully vaccinated before starting.
“Vaccines are the best tool we all have to help control this global pandemic and protect our employees,” the statement reads.
Disney also has started conversations with unions that represent employees under collective bargaining agreements.
Disney has told the union that represents 9,000 attractions and custodial workers at Walt Disney World that the company would like to bargain about mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations, said Unite Here Local 362 president Eric Clinton.
The union’s members have been surveyed, and there is support for everyone getting inoculated, Clinton said.
“The only way that workers can protect themselves at work is by getting vaccinated,” he said.
He added there are some people who can’t be vaccinated because of medical or religious reasons.
“We’ll have to work through the details of how those cast members are accommodated,” Clinton said.
Disney, which has more than 60,000 employees in Central Florida, is joining a growing list of major companies mandating COVID-19 vaccinations. Others include Google, Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, Saks Fifth Avenue, Lyft and Uber, according to a report from CNN.
Dennis Speigel, founder and CEO of Cincinnati-based International Theme Park Services, said the vaccination requirement for Disney employees is a positive change for the theme park industry and could soon become standard at other major parks and attractions in Orlando and nationwide.
“I’ve talked to some people in the industry, and we all feel it’s a good move,” he said. “… It’s going to spread through the entire industry.”
The mandate will likely not cost the resort visitors, employees or potential employees, Speigel said. Though Disney may see some employee pushback to the vaccination requirement, just as some employees and visitors were unhappy with the initial phase of mask mandates, Speigel said most will be quick to adjust to the change if they are not vaccinated already.
“I think for the most part, the kind of people that work and come to our park[s], I think they’re vaccinated people,” he added.
Depending on the spread of the delta variant, theme parks could see other features from earlier stages of the pandemic return, like social distancing markers and a redoubled focus on sanitization and disinfecting, Speigel said.
“The theme park industry handled the issues that were put in front of them last year as well, if not better, than any industry out there. They were fantastic in terms of adhering to, implementing, creating and instituting policies for both the employees and for the guests. And I think we learned a tremendous amount in 2020, and we carry that forward, so that’s only going to continue to get better,” he said.
Earlier this week, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings declared a state of emergency in the county because of the soaring cases of the virus and urged businesses to step up efforts to fight the pandemic.
“I am pleased that the Walt Disney Company, as well as other private and public sector entities, are choosing to make the health, safety, and welfare of their employees and guests a top priority,” Demings said in a statement Friday night.
Disney said in April that employees who are fully vaccinated by Sept. 30 would be eligible for a one-time payment equal to four hours of pay.
“I would say Disney has done a great job so far on their vaccination efforts,” Clinton said. “They offer them at the worksite. They have a mobile unit that goes around the property.”
Also on Friday, Walt Disney World started again requiring employees and guests 2 and older to wear masks while indoors and on resort transportation, regardless of vaccination status.
Orlando Sentinel staff writer Stephen Hudak contributed to this report. afuller@orlandosentinel.com
