Disneyland California Workers Demand COVID-19 Testing for Reopening
Around 2,000 Disneyland employees from the California amusement park held a protest from their cars Saturday, asking for regular COVID-19 testing when the park reopens, Reuters reported.
The Coalition of Resort Labor Unions (CRLU) held the protest "Disney Caravan for Safety" to demand the safety of their visitors and cast members from the COVID-19 pandemic, said a report from USA TODAY.
The group argued that Disneyland (Walt Disney Co) should meet health standards and put adequate protections for its employees who are not currently in its reopening plan.
The CRLU is a group of 11 unions that represent around 17,000 Disney workers in California.
They demanded testing for employees, a higher number of cleaning staff, and other ways to keep the virus from spreading.
Maria Hernandez, a union member, told Reuters that the unions want the reopening of Disney to be "as safe as possible" for cast members, guests, and families who will be visiting the amusement park.
Another union member, Joey Hamamoto, told USA TODAY he wants COVID-19 testing for the employees to protect their family members, coworkers, and guests.
New York Daily News reported that Disneyland has plans to welcome back tourists on July 17. Still, Disney issued an indefinite postponement due to a lack of guidelines for business safety on theme parks in California amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
None of the agreements provide for on-site testing, the central demand behind the protest.
A representative from Disney said health authorities did not recommend COVID-19 testing. Instead, recommendations were focused on physical distancing, face coverings, hand washing, and sanitization.
The company claimed that it had reached agreements with 20 union affiliates that include increased sick pay, face coverings for guests and cast members, and a decrease in park capacity.
Liz Jaeger, Disney spokesperson, said the unions did not represent all employees and told USA TODAY that the 20 union affiliates allow the company "to responsibly bring back our cast as soon as possible".
Jaeger said it is "unfortunate" that union leaders are holding the caravan when they "are trying to get people back to work."
CRLU sent Gov. Gavin Newsom an open letter raising its concerns with ensuring worker safety.
The proposals made by CRLU had been rejected or not yet responded to by the company, said the letter.
It also said Disneyland employees are not getting paid at present but still have health benefits.
They said they were only paid for the first month of the shutdown.
Disney started closing theme parks in January due to threats of COVID-19 but their amusement parks in Shanghai and Hong Kong were reopened to a limited number of park goers.
The Disney World in Orlando, Florida is still set to reopen to the public on July 11 despite the spike in COVID-19 cases in the state and calls from several groups to delay the reopening.
The company said reopening plans for the parks in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Florida were preapproved.
Downtown Disney District will still push through its planned July 9 opening, said Disney.