DISNEY IS IN BALANCING ACT AS SOME WORKERS PROTEST, WALK OUT
ORLANDO, FLA. » Even though only a small percentage of Walt Disney
Co. workers participated in a walkout Tuesday, organizers felt they had won a moral victory with the company issuing a statement denouncing the ANTI-LGBTQ legislation that sparked employee outrage.
Throughout the day, pockets of employees staged demonstrations at various sites across the country, including near Orlando’s Walt Disney World and Walt Disney Studios. According to a Disney official, there had been no interruptions in any operations.
Disney employed 190,000 workers last October, with roughly three-quarters working in its theme parks division.
The debate forced the company into a balancing act between the expectations of a diverse workforce and demands from an increasingly polarized, politicized marketplace.
On one side are LGBTQ advocates and Disney employees calling for the walkout in protest of CEO Bob Chapek’s slow response in publicly criticizing Florida legislation that opponents dubbed as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The legislation awaiting the governor’s signature bars instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade.
On the other side are politicians like Republican Gov. Ron Desantis, who accuse the entertainment conglomerate of bending to woke politics. Earlier this month, the company decided to temporarily suspend political contributions in Florida. Desantis, who has been tacking toward the Republican base on culture war issues, is seen as a 2024 presidential hopeful.
Union leaders for the tens of thousands of unionized workers at Disney theme parks in Florida and California said they saw no walkout momentum among their members, advising them not to do so because it would defy contractual obligations.
“I don’t want to downplay anyone’s efforts, if someone feels what they are doing is the right way to make an impact,” said Eric Clinton, president of Unite Here! Local 362, which represents custodians, housekeepers and other Walt Disney World theme park workers. “We aren’t part of that. It would violate our contract if members of our union participated, though we are concerned about the issue, of course.”
Evan Power, Leon County’s Republican Party chairman, said he believes a strident minority of Disney employees are pushing the issue, and Desantis has more to gain by taking the side of parents who want more control over education and “sexual conversations” in early grades at school.
In a Tuesday Facebook post, Disney wrote that the company opposes “any legislation that infringes on basic human rights” and stands “in solidarity” with LGBTQ employees “who make their voices heard today and every day.”
A group calling for the walkout said on its website that, until the legislation is repealed, Disney leaders need to stop investments in Florida, including the relocation of 2,000 mostly professional jobs from its California headquarters to Orlando.