People pose outside the gates of Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., on March 14, the first day it was closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Photo: david mcnew/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesWalt Disney Co. faces rising pressure to postpone reopening its U.S. theme parks, with union officials and workers saying the recent jump in coronavirus cases makes it too dangerous to go back to the Magic Kingdom.
Union officials representing workers at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., have sought help from the California governor’s office to pressure Disney to reconsider its July reopening schedule. Tens of thousands of workers and members of the public have signed online petitions demanding the company postpone the reopening of Disneyland and Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.
The resistance—unusual among Disney’s famously loyal workforce—could throw into disarray plans that Disney executives have spent months crafting and are in the early stages of executing. The first wave of workers has been told they will be called off furlough and expected to report back to work in the coming weeks.
Disney joins an array of businesses, from fast food to warehouses, that have seen workers demand changes or voice reluctance to return to jobs where employees interact with the public. The company has had to sell government officials on its reopening strategy and still needs to convince consumers that mask requirements and social distancing will keep them safe.
Resistance from workers, though, may present the thorniest challenge to keeping the parks on schedule to reopen soon.
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“The safety and well-being of our cast members and guests are at the forefront of our planning, and we are in active dialogue with our unions on the extensive health and safety protocols, following guidance from public health experts,” a Disney spokeswoman said.
Disney in May first outlined plans to reopen Walt Disney World, telling local officials that the park would limit capacity, cancel crowd-gathering events like fireworks and require visitors to have their temperature checked before entering. Disney plans to reopen the park’s Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom areas July 11; Epcot and Disney Hollywood Studios are expected to follow on July 15.
Disneyland is expected to follow a similar protocol when it resumes operations on July 17, the 65th anniversary of the park’s opening—an event expected to attract fans who want to buy exclusive pins and T-shirts commemorating the day.
In some cases, Disney is calling back workers based on seniority, employees say. Some furloughed Disney workers said they weren’t eager to return while they were collecting more income from unemployment payments than they would make at the park.
Disney is among the most high-profile examples of tension emerging as businesses call employees back to their jobs.
Solo restaurant owners and franchisees of big chains such as McDonald’s Corp. worry that employees won’t show up if they are scared of contracting the virus. In April, Amazon.com Inc. fired at least three workers who say they were pushing for better workplace conditions as they dealt with a surge of orders during the pandemic, a charge the company denied.
While many Disney employees initially expressed enthusiasm for returning to their jobs, some have since watched with caution as the number of positive coronavirus cases ticks upward as restrictions loosen.
A consortium of labor unions representing about 17,000 Disneyland workers sent a letter to California Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier this month saying the company hadn’t provided enough information for their members to feel safe back at the park.
“Disney has rejected or not yet responded to important safety proposals…at this point we do not know if the resort can be operated safely,” the letter stated.
That same coalition of unions is organizing a demonstration near the park on Saturday to call on the company to address safety concerns related to the reopening. The “Disney Caravan for Safety” is planning to have workers drive their cars on a route near Disneyland Drive.
In Orlando, any change to the Disney World reopening schedule could disrupt plans to resume the National Basketball Association season.
NBA teams are scheduled to begin arriving in central Florida on July 7 for a season played at Disney World that could last through the middle of October. But in the days since the league sent teams 113 pages of health and safety protocols for life in their Disney World bubble, NBA officials have watched the local virus-case data with concern.
While strict regulations will discourage players from leaving the NBA’s campus—including a quarantine of at least 10 days—the bubble itself won’t be airtight since Disney staff will be allowed to enter and exit without testing. The league says Disney’s employees won’t be permitted in the same rooms at the same time as players.
—Ben Cohen contributed to this article.
Write to Erich Schwartzel at erich.schwartzel@wsj.com
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