Dear Governor Newsom:

We are the Coalition of Resort Labor Unions (CRLU): a dozen Unions of the Disneyland Resort, representing approximately 17,000 service workers. Our member Unions have bargained contracts with Disney spanning the Resort’s entire 65-year history, and we are proud of our fights to win increased wages and benefits for our diverse memberships. The COVID 19 pandemic is the greatest challenge our Unions and our members have ever faced. Our first priority is our members’ health and safety.

Disney wants clearance from the government to reopen the Disneyland Resort in July. Unfortunately, despite intensive talks with the company, we are not yet convinced that it is safe to reopen the parks on Disney’s rapid timetable.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have been actively engaged with Disney, agreeing on terms to furlough members while guaranteeing their health benefits and job security, and determining the small fraction of employees who would keep the resort clean and safe during the closure period. Disney took the leadership to pay employees during the first month of the parks’ closure, and then continued to pay for their health benefits after placing them on furlough status on April 18. We applaud the company for that position: it gives us confidence that we can work together to accomplish the next task, which is to reopen the Resort when it can be done safely, and to agree on conditions that will protect the health and safety of the employees (“cast members”) as well as the guests.

However, we are not yet satisfied that it is safe to reopen the Resort. Each member Union of CRLU has met with the Company to discuss terms for reopening. Although Disney has provided some information and accommodated some of our concerns, such as the need for the company to take temperatures of all cast members as they enter the worksite, there are numerous questions about safety which Disney has not yet answered, including any serious discussion of ‘testing’ – which has been the cornerstone of plans for other areas of the entertainment industry re- opening. Moreover, Disney has rejected or not yet responded to important safety proposals made by CRLU member unions. Therefore, at this point we do not know if the resort can be operated safely.

We will continue to dialogue with the Company and to seek agreement on safe conditions, and we intend to update you on our progress. In the meantime, we stand ready to answer any questions you have or provide any information that would help your administration make the critical decision as to when to allow theme parks to reopen.