It looks like the layoffs at Disney are coming to an end but unfortunately this last round is huge.
The news is all over the media. I first heard it on WDBO (AM 580) and it is on OrlandoSentinel.com. The article from OrlandoSentinel.com is posted below.
While no one likes negative news about layoffs, the positive aspect of this news is that Disney is making the cuts in places that should not affect the guest experience.
Disney confirms 1,900 jobs eliminated
Jason Garcia | Sentinel Staff Writer
3:32 PM EDT, April 3, 2009
The Walt Disney Co. has eliminated 1,900 jobs across its U.S. parks division - including 1,400 in Florida - the company confirmed this afternoon.
The division-wide cuts include about 1,150 layoffs, 50 voluntary buyouts and 700 open positions that were not filled.
The Florida cuts include 900 layoffs and buyouts and 500 open positions eliminated. The vast majority of those cuts were in Central Florida and at Walt Disney World, though the company also shed jobs at a reservations center in Tampa.
The remaining cuts include 200 layoffs and buyouts and 100 eliminated open positions at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., and smaller cuts at offices in Burbank, Calif., and Glendale, Calif.
Disney said the cuts, which are mostly complete, were aimed at executive, management, professional and administrative positions. The company employs about 62,000 people in Central Florida.
"These decisions were not made lightly but are essential to maintaining our leadership in family tourism and reflect today's economic realities," Disney spokesman Mike Griffin said. "We continue to work through our reorganization and manage our business based on demand."
Disney had for weeks refused to reveal numbers about its job cuts, even as they spread across its vast operations. Layoffs occurred everywhere from entertainment and transportation to finance and human resources.
But the company said today that it began the cuts Feb. 18, the same day it announced a sweeping restructuring of its domestic parks aimed at consolidating back-office functions between Disney World and Disneyland.
Federal law typically require employers who lay off 500 or more employees at once to give state officials 60 days advance notice. Disney did not file such a warning even in Florida.
Disney said it was not obligated to do so because even the Disney World cuts included multiple sites and subsidiaries, none of which tripped the 500-employee threshold. For example, Disney said each of its four theme parks in Orlando is considered a separate site.
The company declined to say how much it expects to save through the job cuts.
The news is all over the media. I first heard it on WDBO (AM 580) and it is on OrlandoSentinel.com. The article from OrlandoSentinel.com is posted below.
While no one likes negative news about layoffs, the positive aspect of this news is that Disney is making the cuts in places that should not affect the guest experience.
Disney confirms 1,900 jobs eliminated
Jason Garcia | Sentinel Staff Writer
3:32 PM EDT, April 3, 2009
The Walt Disney Co. has eliminated 1,900 jobs across its U.S. parks division - including 1,400 in Florida - the company confirmed this afternoon.
The division-wide cuts include about 1,150 layoffs, 50 voluntary buyouts and 700 open positions that were not filled.
The Florida cuts include 900 layoffs and buyouts and 500 open positions eliminated. The vast majority of those cuts were in Central Florida and at Walt Disney World, though the company also shed jobs at a reservations center in Tampa.
The remaining cuts include 200 layoffs and buyouts and 100 eliminated open positions at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., and smaller cuts at offices in Burbank, Calif., and Glendale, Calif.
Disney said the cuts, which are mostly complete, were aimed at executive, management, professional and administrative positions. The company employs about 62,000 people in Central Florida.
"These decisions were not made lightly but are essential to maintaining our leadership in family tourism and reflect today's economic realities," Disney spokesman Mike Griffin said. "We continue to work through our reorganization and manage our business based on demand."
Disney had for weeks refused to reveal numbers about its job cuts, even as they spread across its vast operations. Layoffs occurred everywhere from entertainment and transportation to finance and human resources.
But the company said today that it began the cuts Feb. 18, the same day it announced a sweeping restructuring of its domestic parks aimed at consolidating back-office functions between Disney World and Disneyland.
Federal law typically require employers who lay off 500 or more employees at once to give state officials 60 days advance notice. Disney did not file such a warning even in Florida.
Disney said it was not obligated to do so because even the Disney World cuts included multiple sites and subsidiaries, none of which tripped the 500-employee threshold. For example, Disney said each of its four theme parks in Orlando is considered a separate site.
The company declined to say how much it expects to save through the job cuts.
