Walt Disney World is temporarily freezing hiring and cutting the hours of most of its 40,000 hourly workers because of a steep drop-off in visitors.
The sharpest reductions will be for Disney's 15,000 part-time employees, some of whom are being told not to report for work at all until further notice. "I wouldn't call them layoffs because to me that means your identification is taken away and you're told you don't have a job," Disney spokesman Bill Warren said.
Word of the cutback in work schedules swept through the ranks of workers on Wednesday.
"These are substantial reductions in the hours of part-time employees," some of whom work up to 24 hours a week, said Margie Engels, president of Hotel and Restaurant Workers Union Local 737.
Some full-time employees, who work at least 30 hours a week, will "probably" also be put on reduced schedules, Warren said. "We're doing everything we can to maintain their hours, but some will probably be cut."
Union contracts for Disney's hourly full-timers give the company flexibility to decide how many hours over 30 they will be allowed to work in a particular week.
Wednesday's moves come six months after Disney announced a hiring freeze and plans to lay off about 1,400 workers -- or 3 percent of its total here. The current freeze is for both salaried and hourly positions in Orlando, except for a few the company considers in the narrow category of "unusual need."
Attendance at Universal Orlando's two theme parks also is down sharply after last week's terrorist attacks, and many restaurants and fast-food kiosks in the parks are closing early -- if they open at all.
But Universal spokesman Jim Canfield would not be specific about whether work schedules are being reduced for its 12,000 workers.
"This is unprecedented territory for the nation, let alone the tourist industry," he said. "We're making minute-to-minute adjustments."
SeaWorld said it hasn't reduced employees' hours yet.
Some Disney workers said Wednesday that their schedules for the following workweek, which begins Sunday, are normally issued Tuesday. But this week, the new schedules won't be released until today.
At Disney, lack of visitors also means shorter operating hours for its most popular Orlando park, the Magic Kingdom, on Friday and Saturday. On Friday, the park will open as planned at 9 a.m. but will close two hours early at 7 p.m. And Saturday, the park will be open from 9 to 9, closing one hour early.
Rumors circulated among employees Wednesday that more cost-saving measures are imminent. Among those said to be under discussion: numerous early closings for the roughly 60 restaurants among the four theme parks and blocking off entire sections of some resort hotels in order to reduce costs of maid service, maintenance and utilities.
Warren wouldn't confirm or deny such plans.
"We are monitoring the business climate on a daily basis and taking appropriate steps, but we haven't taken those steps," he said.
About 40,000 of Disney World's 54,600 workers are hourly employees. Some 38 percent, or 15,000, of the hourly workers are part time.
The sharpest reductions will be for Disney's 15,000 part-time employees, some of whom are being told not to report for work at all until further notice. "I wouldn't call them layoffs because to me that means your identification is taken away and you're told you don't have a job," Disney spokesman Bill Warren said.
Word of the cutback in work schedules swept through the ranks of workers on Wednesday.
"These are substantial reductions in the hours of part-time employees," some of whom work up to 24 hours a week, said Margie Engels, president of Hotel and Restaurant Workers Union Local 737.
Some full-time employees, who work at least 30 hours a week, will "probably" also be put on reduced schedules, Warren said. "We're doing everything we can to maintain their hours, but some will probably be cut."
Union contracts for Disney's hourly full-timers give the company flexibility to decide how many hours over 30 they will be allowed to work in a particular week.
Wednesday's moves come six months after Disney announced a hiring freeze and plans to lay off about 1,400 workers -- or 3 percent of its total here. The current freeze is for both salaried and hourly positions in Orlando, except for a few the company considers in the narrow category of "unusual need."
Attendance at Universal Orlando's two theme parks also is down sharply after last week's terrorist attacks, and many restaurants and fast-food kiosks in the parks are closing early -- if they open at all.
But Universal spokesman Jim Canfield would not be specific about whether work schedules are being reduced for its 12,000 workers.
"This is unprecedented territory for the nation, let alone the tourist industry," he said. "We're making minute-to-minute adjustments."
SeaWorld said it hasn't reduced employees' hours yet.
Some Disney workers said Wednesday that their schedules for the following workweek, which begins Sunday, are normally issued Tuesday. But this week, the new schedules won't be released until today.
At Disney, lack of visitors also means shorter operating hours for its most popular Orlando park, the Magic Kingdom, on Friday and Saturday. On Friday, the park will open as planned at 9 a.m. but will close two hours early at 7 p.m. And Saturday, the park will be open from 9 to 9, closing one hour early.
Rumors circulated among employees Wednesday that more cost-saving measures are imminent. Among those said to be under discussion: numerous early closings for the roughly 60 restaurants among the four theme parks and blocking off entire sections of some resort hotels in order to reduce costs of maid service, maintenance and utilities.
Warren wouldn't confirm or deny such plans.
"We are monitoring the business climate on a daily basis and taking appropriate steps, but we haven't taken those steps," he said.
About 40,000 of Disney World's 54,600 workers are hourly employees. Some 38 percent, or 15,000, of the hourly workers are part time.
