Disney and other Florida-based businesses are “pausing their COVID-19 vaccine mandates and rehiring employees that were fired for refusing to “take the jab.”
ink was not dry on the new legislation banning COVID-19 mandates, signed yesterday by Gov. Ron DeSantis, when it was announced on Nov. 19 that Disney will pause their company policy.
In a memo obtained by Pezou, Disney World emailed its current employees with news of the changed policy.
“As we assess the full impact of this new legislation, we are immediately pausing the enforcement of our mandatory vaccination policy for Florida-based cast members and employees until further notice,” the memo read.
“All pending requests by Florida-based cast members and employees for an accommodation exempting them from the company’s vaccine mandate will be considered on hold for the time being and [there] will not be evaluation.”
However, Disney Resort employee Stephen Cribb said she is not comfortable with the word “pause.”
“I think they this is just a time for them to regroup to see what their recourse is,” Cribb, a recreation manager for the resort, said during a telephone interview. “This has thrown them off a bit–once they figure things out, legally, to see how they can get around the law.”
memo was forwarded to the Governor’s Office and was met with mixed reactions.
Christina Pushaw, press secretary for Gov. Ron DeSantis, said that it would be in Disney’s best interest—as well as other Florida-based companies—to comply with the law.
“Disney has amended its vaccination policy to comply with Florida law,” she said in an emailed statement.
“We expect that all companies in Florida will likewise follow the law signed by Gov. DeSantis yesterday. Nobody should lose his, or her, job over COVID mandates.”
She continued, “Disney is a major employer in Florida, and we are proud that the ‘happiest place on Earth’ is here in our state. Gov. DeSantis’ leadership has saved countless jobs and livelihoods during this challenging time.”
press secretary went on to say that she hopes that Disney will rehire its employees who were affected by the pandemic.
“Florida’s economy is booming, and thousands of businesses are hiring, so it would be a smart business decision for Disney [and others] to re-hire former employees who worked throughout the pandemic and helped their companies succeed.”
Pezou reached out to the media relations department at Disney World, but they would not comment on the memo—or if they planned to rehire hundreds of employees who lost their jobs due to their prior COVID-19 policy.
County Citizens Defending Freedom, an advocacy group for any Floridian who “helps citizens to defend themselves”, is happy with Disney’s decision to pause the policy—but hopes they will rehire former employees.
One of the members, Steve Maxwell, said his group is “fighting against tyranny.”
“If Disney rehire those employees, it will be a great holiday season for everyone,” he said over the telephone. “We are happy that Disney has made this decision, but there is much more to do.”
Nick Carturano, a server at Disney, said he has held the hands of co-workers crying because they “chose their convictions over their job.”
He also said the union that is supposed to “fight for their employees” has done nothing for them.
“Nobody cares anymore about business decisions,” he said. “ unions did nothing for us.”
After Disney implemented their COVID-19 policy for union and non-union employees to be fully vaccinated, many either left their positions or were terminated as a result of non-compliance.
According to the policy, any employee who did not comply—and did not request an exemption—was “separated from the company with a ‘yes’ rehire status,” according to the Service Trades Council Union.
Pezou : Disney World Hits Pause Button Over COVID-19 Vaccination Policies