Disney Parks laying off 28,000 cast members

[BK2014]

These were transfers to the opening of SWGE. Disney always allows CMs to transfer to new lands if they wish. Being part of an opening team for a land or attraction is considered a big deal.

Thank you for the information. It really seems unfair that they had to give up their seniority to do so, especially since I am guessing it is their seniority that put them in position for the transfer in the first place.

 

[Douglas Dubh]

Thank you for the information. It really seems unfair that they had to give up their seniority to do so, especially since I am guessing it is their seniority that put them in position for the transfer in the first place.

That doesn‘t happen at WDW. CM’s can move between parks and even between resorts and parks and not lose seniority, as long as they stay in a union role.

 

[ford91exploder]

It's heartbreaking to see the people who actually MAKE the magic be let go, But Disney wants to be a 'tech' company with extreme PROFIT growth these days. These layoffs were long planned its just Disney using COVID as an opportunity to do them all at once. For instance why layoff SEASONAL CM's these are largely snowbirds who love Disney and are guaranteed no hours and receive no benefits.

This shows Disney will be running the parks with financial efficiency as the only goal. Disney is ASSUMING the brand is so strong that people will come to the parks no matter how much the experience is degraded. I have not been to the parks since 2017 since the the huge cuts in entertainment began, And now it wil be a Six Flags experience with a Disney Price point. For me Disney has always been about the over the top approach to customer experience and and the overwhelming amount of detail they put into the environments. That attitude seemingly has moved out of Disney forever, If I want to ride thinly decorated rides like Slinky Dog there is a six flags less than 2 hours from my house. if I want to stay in a Marriott there is one 15 minutes from my house. I stayed AKL /WL/GF for the immersive environments. Take that away and why would I stay there when I can stay at the Marriott and get points and a free breakfast for everyone in my family.

I'm just sick at heart because at one time Disney was a company which stood for something other than grubbing for the last penny out of ones wallet,

 

[rteetz]

https://blogmickey.com/2020/10/gran...-yWzYj7_s75gYEgSfLbfwMrU5_qqFXFQtxKnTdwIU2b80

 

[rteetz]

https://blogmickey.com/2020/10/disn...K1ZwMfrv0H1C6y9lE4mOZAqipZdGVWsbtwLjx2au01PM0

 

[Dean Marino]

https://blogmickey.com/2020/10/disn...K1ZwMfrv0H1C6y9lE4mOZAqipZdGVWsbtwLjx2au01PM0

What about our great RESTAURANT WORKERS?

 

[yulilin3]

What about our great RESTAURANT WORKERS?

That's a separate union, local 737, no word yet

 

[sparks&whimsy]

Aulani CM's just started getting notice last week, it was pretty much cuts across the board but the majority I knew who got the cut were in Entertainment and Catering.

 

[only hope]

What about our great RESTAURANT WORKERS?

One of my extended family members was a part time restaurant worker. He has worked for Disney off and on for thirty years. He was laid off in this latest round. He’d been there about the past five years. So I’d say part time workers are not safe.

 

[rteetz]

https://blogmickey.com/2020/10/layo...odTj0WhCu4HsEgPT-gqFJ9_9etnyo11UyucXvwoHqlE48

 

[BadPinkTink]

It's heartbreaking to see the people who actually MAKE the magic be let go, But Disney wants to be a 'tech' company with extreme PROFIT growth these days. These layoffs were long planned its just Disney using COVID as an opportunity to do them all at once. For instance why layoff SEASONAL CM's these are largely snowbirds who love Disney and are guaranteed no hours and receive no benefits.

This shows Disney will be running the parks with financial efficiency as the only goal. Disney is ASSUMING the brand is so strong that people will come to the parks no matter how much the experience is degraded. I have not been to the parks since 2017 since the the huge cuts in entertainment began, And now it wil be a Six Flags experience with a Disney Price point. For me Disney has always been about the over the top approach to customer experience and and the overwhelming amount of detail they put into the environments. That attitude seemingly has moved out of Disney forever, If I want to ride thinly decorated rides like Slinky Dog there is a six flags less than 2 hours from my house. if I want to stay in a Marriott there is one 15 minutes from my house. I stayed AKL /WL/GF for the immersive environments. Take that away and why would I stay there when I can stay at the Marriott and get points and a free breakfast for everyone in my family.

I'm just sick at heart because at one time Disney was a company which stood for something other than grubbing for the last penny out of ones wallet,

For every person who feels like you, there will be 5 more who have never experienced Disney parks and will take your place.

I did write a post which I deleted, trying to explain about the choices being made, but unless you understand marketing and run a business you wont understand.

"This shows Disney will be running the parks with financial efficiency as the only goal. " and right now thats the top priority. TWDC needs to survive, so tough choices are being made. What you don't seem to grasp is that without these cuts and layoffs there wont BE Disney parks for you to go to in 2022 or 2023!!

 

[BrianL]

For every person who feels like you, there will be 5 more who have never experienced Disney parks and will take your place.

I did write a post which I deleted, trying to explain about the choices being made, but unless you understand marketing and run a business you wont understand.

"This shows Disney will be running the parks with financial efficiency as the only goal. " and right now thats the top priority. TWDC needs to survive, so tough choices are being made. What you don't seem to grasp is that without these cuts and layoffs there wont BE Disney parks for you to go to in 2022 or 2023!!

It seems to me that many people think Disney is always trying to cut costs even befrore the pandemic - they eliminate this or that and everyone here gets up in arms. Most likely though they make cuts where their research indicates it doesn't have an impact. I mean, look, I love the Citizens of Hollywood as much an anybody, but are they actually driving many people to visit HS? Probably not. And while one might consider that cut to be yet another cheap-out by Disney, look at what they are putting in. There has been a rash of new ride construction, even new lands. While certainly Disney does care about the bottom line first and foremost, there are still plenty of people at the company who care about the parks and care about the show - they just have a different idea of how that looks. There is plenty of evidence that the company still indeed cares about making the magic - and yeah, a tidy profit has always been part of that equation.

 

[New Mouse]

For every person who feels like you, there will be 5 more who have never experienced Disney parks and will take your place.

I did write a post which I deleted, trying to explain about the choices being made, but unless you understand marketing and run a business you wont understand.

"This shows Disney will be running the parks with financial efficiency as the only goal. " and right now thats the top priority. TWDC needs to survive, so tough choices are being made. What you don't seem to grasp is that without these cuts and layoffs there wont BE Disney parks for you to go to in 2022 or 2023!!

Thats not even close to true. Disney is not in financal turmoil, nor are they leveraged to the point where they cant easily get more cash if needed. The decisions are solely to appease wall street. If we are in the same boat at the end of 2021 we can start to think like this.

 

[Nebraska_Disney]

Thats not even close to true. Disney is not in financal turmoil, nor are they leveraged to the point where they cant easily get more cash if needed. The decisions are solely to appease wall street. If we are in the same boat at the end of 2021 we can start to think like this.

So, those who own the company (shareholders) should just be damned and not have a say in operations? Guess what? The capital that the shareholders (owners) provide is what has made the Disney theme parks possible. So yes, there is a need to appease Wall Street and as a shareholder myself, I am happy they are. It is called running a business for the long-term and for a profit.

 

[jknezek]

Thats not even close to true. Disney is not in financal turmoil, nor are they leveraged to the point where they cant easily get more cash if needed. The decisions are solely to appease wall street. If we are in the same boat at the end of 2021 we can start to think like this.

A smart company doesn't wait until their back is against the wall to take actions to survive long term. When the road gets tough, you start to take action, the tougher the road, the tougher and more frequent the actions. Disney Parks are facing some hard times right now. So is the movie division and the broadcast and cable channels. There are a lot of headwinds. So the actions have been pretty tough already. Laying off tens of thousands and borrowing billions.

But any smart business doesn't wait until the last second to do this. You don't draw every resource while leaving your head in the sand hoping things get better. You adapt to survive. Disney borrowed money and cut expenses. That provides a cushion. I expect they will continue to cut expenses as much as possible and, frankly, when possible to borrow as cheaply as possible. It's not so much to appease the street as it is to not be forced into a situation where they have fewer choices. The fact that Wall Street appreciates and rewards this kind of sound business thinking, as would any lender or owner, makes it easy to yell and scream about evil "Wall Street", but mostly what we see from Disney is simply sound strategy for a company that is facing significant issues.

Absolutely sucks for the employees. My heart goes out to them and I hope this is temporary. But that doesn't have me condemning Disney for doing the smart move.

 

[Tink-osophy]

Current events, and even Disney(!) aside for a moment: I would imagine that everyone understands the need to take care of the finances and earn a profit, but, there's also the even bigger picture in which we can see how 'chasing ever-increasing profits over all else' impacts the quality of our businesses and, therefore, society in so many ways.

Ultimately, money is an important means to an end, but not an end in and of itself. I'm not a socialist or a conservative, so this isn't a political comment (though I'm sure it can be read many ways if you want! ), I just think the trend for constantly raising profit expectations is warping the true value of things from a broader perspective.

ETA: Just to clarify - I'm not disagreeing with a lot of what's been said above about smart business and financial survival - but I do believe we all miss out in the end if we only look through that lens, as seems to have been the trend for a while now.

 

[Tink-osophy]

Absolutely sucks for the employees. My heart goes out to them and I hope this is temporary.

 

[Figvention]

It's heartbreaking to see the people who actually MAKE the magic be let go, But Disney wants to be a 'tech' company with extreme PROFIT growth these days. These layoffs were long planned its just Disney using COVID as an opportunity to do them all at once. For instance why layoff SEASONAL CM's these are largely snowbirds who love Disney and are guaranteed no hours and receive no benefits.

This shows Disney will be running the parks with financial efficiency as the only goal. Disney is ASSUMING the brand is so strong that people will come to the parks no matter how much the experience is degraded. I have not been to the parks since 2017 since the the huge cuts in entertainment began, And now it wil be a Six Flags experience with a Disney Price point. For me Disney has always been about the over the top approach to customer experience and and the overwhelming amount of detail they put into the environments. That attitude seemingly has moved out of Disney forever, If I want to ride thinly decorated rides like Slinky Dog there is a six flags less than 2 hours from my house. if I want to stay in a Marriott there is one 15 minutes from my house. I stayed AKL /WL/GF for the immersive environments. Take that away and why would I stay there when I can stay at the Marriott and get points and a free breakfast for everyone in my family.

I'm just sick at heart because at one time Disney was a company which stood for something other than grubbing for the last penny out of ones wallet,

I agree with your sentiment wholeheartedly. My wife and I will still slip away to the Orlando area for a few long weekends a year (it’s quick and cheap to get there), but we will be going to Orlando and not specifically Disney anymore. Yes, we will find a day to enjoy Epcot while we are in Orlando, but the idea of planning a “Disney” specific trip is over. I have no need to drop 3-5k to be in line at 7:30in the AM jammed shoulder to shoulder for a “ride”.

 

[Figvention]

It seems to me that many people think Disney is always trying to cut costs even befrore the pandemic - they eliminate this or that and everyone here gets up in arms. Most likely though they make cuts where their research indicates it doesn't have an impact. I mean, look, I love the Citizens of Hollywood as much an anybody, but are they actually driving many people to visit HS? Probably not. And while one might consider that cut to be yet another cheap-out by Disney, look at what they are putting in. There has been a rash of new ride construction, even lands. While certainly Disney does care about the bottom line first and foremost, there are still plenty of people at the company who care about the parks and care about the show - they just have a different idea of how that looks. There is plenty of evidence that the company still indeed cares about making the magic - and yeah, a tidy profit has always been part of that equation.

While not in marketing, I did stay at a holiday inn express last night.

There is a very important (maybe the most) indicator in a business like Disney that has variable revenue per guest. They HEAVILY track who is spending what. I promise you WDW makes much more per head off the person who cares about “entertainment” than the family of 4 who drives in, stays offsite, and packs a lunch.

50% of American family made less than 35k, true fact. If you think those people are keeping the Poly open... well you need to check your marketing degree. It’s not a head count or zero sum game

 

[BrianL]

While not in marketing, I did stay at a holiday inn express last night.

There is a very important (maybe the most) indicator in a business like Disney that has variable revenue per guest. They HEAVILY track who is spending what. I promise you WDW makes much more per head off the person who cares about “entertainment” than the family of 4 who drives in, stays offsite, and packs a lunch.

50% of American family made less than 35k, true fact. If you think those people are keeping the Poly open... well you need to check your marketing degree. It’s not a head count or zero sum game

I never said anything of the sort. I only meant that Disney uses their metrics to determine when something should change. They likely don't just do it to "cheap out" but when their research shows that that thing isn't popular or generating traffic or money. It's not like they don't replace it, they may just replace it in a different area or way. I just don't get eh argument that Disney doesn't care about the parks considering all of the investing they've been doing - yes it's investment in physical buildings and rides/attractions rather than the atmosphere entertainment, but their research likely shows that people prefer it that way. Yeah, some of us here on the DIS obviously don't, but we are a microcosm of fans and can't project our own opinions on everyone else. My point is that Disney doesn't do it because they "don't care" or whatever, they just see it differently than we do.