Disney and Cast Member unions couldn’t come to an agreement Friday as the company looks to furlough the union-protected Cast Members later this month. According to Workers United Local 50, a Disneyland Cast Member union, talks with Disney will continue into the weekend as the two sides look to come to terms that would see the union Cast Members furloughed like the non-union Cast Members and employees.
According to a social media post by Workers United Local 50, Disney “proposes to suspend all non-essential union members starting April 19”. This furlough would line up with the previously announced furlough of non-union Cast Members and employees.
The proposal terms sound similar to the terms offered to non-union Cast Members as outlined, in part, below:
…all impacted workers will remain Disney employees through the duration of the furlough period. They will receive full healthcare benefits, plus the cost of employee and company premiums will be paid by Disney, and those enrolled in Disney Aspire will have continued access to the education program.
Additionally, employees with available paid time off can elect to use some or all of it at the start of the furlough period and, once furloughed, they are eligible to receive an extra $600 per week in federal compensation through the $2 trillion economic stimulus bill, as well as state unemployment insurance.
While negotiations are set to continue through the weekend, Workers United Local 50 president Chris Duarte told the OC Register that “The furlough is going to happen to union members as well as non-union members”, and that nothing is set in stone.
A Walt Disney World union echoed the sentiments from the Disneyland union, noting that a furlough has been proposed for all union Cast Members working at Walt Disney World and that negotiations were going to continue through the weekend.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com for the latest Disney Parks news and photos. We’ll continue to bring you news and photos, where possible, through the Disney Parks closure due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) and will resume our normal coverage once the parks reopen to guests on July 11th!