The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE:DIS) has set an April 11 deadline for a vaccine mandate for the employees of its Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California.
What Happened: According to a Deadline report, Workers United Local 50, the labor union representing many Disneyland employees, said it received a notice from Disney that said, “The deadline will be April 11th to have verification of vaccination submitted.”
Local 50 Steward Chris Shively said the union asked Disney to extend the same requirements of its employees – proof of vaccination or a negative test – and to the guests visiting the theme park, but the company refused. Disneyland only requires visitors and guests to affirm they are in compliance with state recommendations.
“Disney has no intent to require guests to show proof of vaccinations or a negative test,” Shively said. “They have specifically communicated that to us.”
The union added that the majority of the park’s workers have been vaccinated and that the company will consider “certain limited exceptions” that could apply to employees who cannot be vaccinated due to medical conditions and those who have religious beliefs that prohibit vaccination.
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Why It Matters: The situation at Disneyland is markedly different from the situation at Walt Disney World in Orlando, where the employee vaccine mandate was put on hold last November after the Florida legislature passed a bill curtailing mask and vaccine mandates.
California does not have a state law requiring vaccine mandates for private employers, and the likelihood of that type of legislation is unlikely following last month’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling that blocked the Biden administration’s mandate requiring private companies to enact vaccine-or-test requirements on its workforce.
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