Disney World to Require Covid-19 Vaccination for Union Employees

Disney has reached an agreement with its unions to demand that all of its unionized employees working at Walt Disney World in Florida be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 by October 22, 2021.

The move comes nearly a month after Disney demanded that all of its salaried and non-union hourly workers in the United States be fully immunized against the coronavirus by the end of September.

No agreement has been reached with the unions on the west coast that speak to employees of Disneyland Resort.

The Service Trades Council Union, which includes six affiliated unions representing approximately 43,000 Disney cast members in Florida, said the company will be holding on-site vaccination events for employees in the coming weeks.

“The vaccines are safe, effective and free,” the union said in a memo to members on Monday, “To date, the Pfizer vaccine is approved by the FDA and is offered by the company. Getting vaccinated is the best way. for workers to protect themselves from this deadly virus. “

On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration granted full approval for Pfizer and BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine, becoming the first in the United States to earn the coveted designation and giving even more businesses, schools and universities more confidence to adopt vaccine mandates.

So far, the mRNA vaccine, which will now be marketed as Comirnaty, has been on the US market under emergency use clearance granted by the FDA in December.

Employees with health problems or “genuine” religious beliefs will be eligible for an exemption, the union said.

Disney considers its employees to be fully vaccinated if they are at least two weeks after completing their vaccination, whether after the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or after a single injection of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Disney has updated its safety policies in accordance with local health regulations both nationally and internationally since the start of the pandemic. More recently, the company has started requiring proof of Covid vaccination or a negative Covid test before entering its Paris-based theme park based on French guidelines.