Disney will lay off 28,000 theme park employees after months of coronavirus furloughs


Disney has realized its parks won't be back at full capacity anytime soon.
Disney furloughed and stopped paying more than 100,000 of its parks employees in April, about a month into the coronavirus pandemic. And on Tuesday, Disney's head of parks, experiences, and products Josh D'Amaro announced about 28,000 of those furloughs will become permanent layoffs. Employees at all levels of D'Amaro's department will be affected, though 67 percent of those laid off are part-time employees.
After the April furlough, an agreement with a union led the company to continue paying health care for furloughed workers. D'Amaro said in his statement the company was currently talking with unions and union-represented employees about the layoffs. He also blamed California's coronavirus restrictions for keeping Disneyland closed, failing to mention that California and Florida — the home of Disney's American parks — are still among the hardest-hit states by coronavirus.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The COVID-19 pandemic hit every aspect of Disney's business hard, though it still brought in a lower-than-expected $11.87 billion in revenue in 2020's second financial quarter. Its theme park division alone saw a $3.5 billion revenue drop; it usually accounts for 37 percent of the company's total revenue.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
June 1 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include Donald Trump's golden comb-over, brain drain in America, and a new TACO presidential seal.
-
5 cartoons about the TACO trade
Cartoons Political cartoonists take on America's tariffs, Vladimir Putin waiting for taco Tuesday, and a new presidential seal
-
A city of culture in the high Andes
The Week Recommends Cuenca is a must-visit for those keen to see the 'real Ecuador'
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutiny
Speed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures
-
Starbucks baristas strike over dress code
speed read The new uniform 'puts the burden on baristas' to buy new clothes, said a Starbucks Workers United union delegate
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirement
speed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement
-
Trump calls Amazon's Bezos over tariff display
Speed Read The president was not happy with reports that Amazon would list the added cost from tariffs alongside product prices
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels
Speed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of business
Speed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores
-
Trump's China tariffs start after Canada, Mexico pauses
Speed Read The president paused his tariffs on America's closest neighbors after speaking to their leaders, but his import tax on Chinese goods has taken effect