horse-powered carriage through the parks now
sit individually in rows separated by clear-plastic
window partitions.
“Singing their praises seems so strange,” said
Julee Jerkovich, an official with a United Food
& Commercial Workers union, which represents
Disney merchandise and banquet workers. “As
far as this grand experiment, I would have to say
Disney has done a really good job.”
But not all unions are happy. The union that
represents actors and singers has filed a
grievance with Disney World, saying their 750
members were locked out of returning to work
after they complained about Disney ignoring
their demands for getting coronavirus tests
since they can’t wear masks while performing.
Some performers, though, are eager to return
to work and are pushing the union to reach
an agreement with the company, as they
worry about Disney replacing their shows with
temporary ones featuring non-actors.
Actor’s Equity Association fired a new salvo
against Disney over the weekend by tweeting
a re-edited version of a welcome-back video
produced by the company featuring workers
preparing the park for visitors. In Equity’s
version, a rolling count of Florida’s coronavirus
cases runs on the screen.
There have been isolated cases of workers and
visitors connected to the theme parks getting
sick with COVID-19, “but we haven’t seen any
large number of positive cases that come from
any of the parks,” Dr. Raul Pino, health officer for
Florida’s Department of Health, said.
Disney’s policy of granting sick workers with
paid time off so they can quarantine has made