Disney World reaches deal to mandate vaccine with unionized workers
By Frank Pallotta, CNN Business
Disney World will require vaccinations for many of its employees at the Florida-based resort after the company made a deal with two of its employees’ unions.
The resort, which is located in Orlando, Florida, reached an agreement with the Service Trades Council Union and the Actors Equity Association on Monday.
This is important since the STCU is Disney’s largest union, representing more than 30,000 employees at the resort, or as Disney likes to call them “cast members.”
“We appreciate the communication and collaboration with the union representatives as we put the safety of our Cast Members at the forefront of our health and safety protocols — getting the vaccine is the best way to protect each other,” a Disney spokesperson told CNN Business.
The company has not reached deals with all of its union represented employees at Disney World, but discussions are still ongoing.
The agreement includes all types of cast members that guests come in contact with, including ride operators, performers and service workers.
The cast members must show proof of vaccination by October 22 and those with medical conditions or “sincerely held” religious beliefs will be exempt, STCU said.
The news comes after Disney announced last month that it was requiring all its salaried and non-union hourly employees in the US to be vaccinated.
The US Food and Drug Administration granted approval to the Pfizer vaccine for those 16 and over on Monday, becoming the first vaccine to gain federal approval.
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