Disneyland worker’s union requests California governor delay reopening set for July

Thousands of Disneyland workers have signed a letter addressed to California Gov. Gavin Newsom asking that he delay Disneyland’s reopening scheduled for July.

The Coalition of Resort Labor Unions, which represents 10 unions and around 17,000 Disneyland employees, sent a letter to Newsom on Thursday, CBS Los Angeles reported.

The unions wrote in the letter: “... despite intensive talks with the company, we are not yet convinced that it is safe to reopen the parks on Disney’s rapid timetable.”

The employees also said that although Disneyland agreed to take temperatures of all cast members, there were “numerous questions about safety which Disney has not yet answered, including any serious discussion of ‘testing’ — which has been the cornerstone of plans for other areas of the entertainment industry re-opening.”

The park announced June 10 that it planned to begin reopening Disneyland Resort, starting with Downtown Disney District on July 9. Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure park would open July 17 and Disney’s Grand California Hotel and Spa and Disney’s Pier Hotel lwould reopen July 23, Disney Parks said.

“We are pleased to announce our proposed plans to begin a phased reopening of the Disneyland Resort,” Disney Parks said. “We are looking forward to welcoming guests back to the Happiest Place on Earth!”

Disney said that the theme park capacity will be limited “to comply with governmental requirements and promote physical distancing” when parks reopen.

“The Disneyland Resort will manage attendance through a new theme park reservation system that will require all guests, including Annual Passholders, to obtain a reservation for park entry in advance,” the park said in a news release.

Disneyland shuttered it parks in March in order to try to stop the spread of COVID-19 during the pandemic, CNBC reported.

Over 2 million people in the U.S. have been confirmed with COVID-19 as of June 19, according to Johns Hopkins University. Over 5,000 people have died of the coronavirus in California.

This story was originally published June 19, 2020 at 2:24 PM with the headline "Disneyland worker’s union requests California governor delay reopening set for July."