Disneyland is pushing ahead with a Covid-19 vaccine mandate for all employees as negotiations with unions break down according to a new post from one of the theme park’s largest unions.
The Workers United Local 50 Union, which represents food and beverage cast members at Disneyland resort, posted on their Facebook page that management is moving forward with a vaccine mandate for union members as well as other unions not currently under a mandate.
“Cast will receive an email with details of the mandate. The deadline will be April 11th to have verification of vaccination submitted. Accommodations for religious and/or medical reasons will be available,” reads the Facebook post.
According to a Facebook posting by Grace Campista, who serves on the union’s executive board, talks broke down over whether or not guests would need to follow the same guidelines as employees.
“We requested that Disney require guests to be vaccinated or a negative test as well and they said no,” Campista wrote under the initial Facebook post from the union to commenters asking what happened.
Ada Briceño, co-president of Unite Here Local 11 union which represents hotel and restaurant employees as well as other workers said on Friday the union backs vaccine mandates.
“Local 11 strongly supports employer vaccine mandates and we will not comment on specific negotiations with any of our employers at this time,” she said.
Briceño is also the chair of the Democratic Party of Orange County.
The company – one of the biggest employers in Orange County – first announced a vaccine mandate for all theme park employees in the United States in July 2021, but several unions pushed back against the mandate and entered into months of negotiations with the entertainment giant.
Now, the company is pushing forward whether their employees like it or not.
Under the new requirements, all employees will be required to show proof of vaccination by March 28 and all new hires will be required to vaccinate before they begin work.
“We are requiring that all salaried and non-union hourly employees in the U.S. working at any of our sites be fully vaccinated,” reads a statement from the Walt Disney Company. “Vaccines are the best tool we all have to help control this global pandemic and protect our employees.”
Union officials declined comment on Friday morning.
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The company tried to implement a similar ban in Florida last year, but was shut down after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation that stopped employers from issuing vaccine mandates.
The push to mandate vaccines for Disney employees comes as employers across the country struggle with how they handle Covid-19.
Earlier this year, President Joe Biden tried to implement rules that would require large employers to vaccinate all their employees, but the laws were struck down by the Supreme Court.
“Although Congress has indisputably given OSHA the power to regulate occupational dangers, it has not given that agency the power to regulate public health more broadly,” the court wrote in an unsigned opinion.
“Requiring the vaccination of 84 million Americans, selected simply because they work for employers with more than 100 employees certainly falls in the latter category.”
Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC Reporting Fellow. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @NBiesiada.
Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC Reporting Fellow. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @ElattarHosam.
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