Walt Disney World Pauses Cast Member Vaccine Mandate, Issues Statement in Wake of New State Legislation
Earlier this year, in two separate announcements (one for salaried and non-union Cast Members and another for Cast Members part of a union) Disney announced that all Cast Members would be required to be fully vaccinated . However, those mandates have come to a halt as Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis, signed new legislation this week making it illegal for businesses in the state to mandate vaccines for their employees.
(AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Originally, all salaried and Cast Members not a part of a union were required to be vaccinated by the end of September while those Cast Members a part of a union were required to be fully vaccinated by October 22.
In light of the new legislation signed this week by DeSantis, Disney has halted their mandate for Cast Members at Walt Disney World. In response to this new law, Disney has released the following statement to Fox 35:
We believe that our approach to mandatory vaccines has been the right one as we’ve continued to focus on the safety and well-being of our Cast Members and Guests, and at this point, more than 90 percent of active Florida-based Cast Members have already verified that they are fully vaccinated. We will address legal developments as appropriate.
Photo: Disney
In response to Disney’s statement above, DeSantis’ office released the following rebuttal:
As we would expect, Disney has amended its vaccination policy to comply with Florida law. We believe that all companies in Florida will likewise follow the law signed by Governor DeSantis this week. Nobody should lose his or her job over these mandates. Disney is a major employer in Florida, and we are proud that the “happiest place on Earth” is here in our state. Governor DeSantis’ leadership has saved countless jobs and livelihoods before this holiday season. We hope Disney and any other company that has suspended or terminated workers due to vaccine mandates will consider re-hiring them.
Photo: Rutgers
Per Florida’s new anti-vaccine mandate, companies who are in violation would receive a fine and allow guardians to make the decision on vaccinating their children.
Fox 35 is also reporting that Nick Caturano, a Walt Disney World Cast Member of 16 years and creator of the GoofyVaccine.com website, received an internal memo from Disney stating that mandatory vaccines had been paused. In the memo it states:
The pause will remain in effect as it assesses the new state laws protecting workers from vaccine mandates.
Caturano also had this to say about the memo:
We all want to go back to a sense of normalcy. We all hoped the vaccine would do the trick. And it seemed like it was starting to work but people are getting the COVID…to separate them it doesn’t make sense.
Make sure to keep it here with MickeyBlog.com as we continue to follow the latest on Disney’s vaccine mandate for Cast Members being suspended by the state of Florida.
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Source Credit: Fox 35 and WFTV9
