Disney World will furlough 43,000 employees during its indefinite closure
- Disney World will furlough 43,000 employees starting April 19.
- The workers' union, the Service Trades Council Union, said that the employees will keep medical and other benefits during the furlough period.
- Workers were not given a return date "due to the unknown duration of the closure," the union said.
- Disney Parks announced last month that Disney World and Disneyland would remain closed "until further notice" due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Florida's Disney World resort closed indefinitely last month due to the coronavirus pandemic and is set to furlough 43,000 employees starting April 19.
The Service Trades Council Union said in a memo that the thousands of furloughed workers will still be eligible for their medical, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits during the furlough period. They'll also be able to make a "one-time election" of accrued, unused vacation time or paid time off that will be paid out on a regular pay cycle.
Disney will also pay for any coronavirus testing for those enrolled in a company medical plan.
A return date was not given "due to the unknown duration of the closure," but the union said that all employees will be able to return to their jobs once the park reopens.
200 non-furloughed employees will continue to work to "support essential business functions or support the resumption of business operations," the union said.
Disney Parks did not immediately return a request for comment from Business Insider.
Disney Parks announced on March 27 that Disney World and Disneyland in California would "remain closed until further notice" and extended pay for hourly employees through April 18. Disney's international parks, such as Tokyo Disneyland and Shanghai Disneyland, are also temporarily closed.
Disney is the most exposed major media company during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report from Wall Street firm UBS, because most of its revenue comes from parks, movies, and advertising. UBS estimated last month that Disney could lose nearly $2 billion in revenue if its parks close for 30 days. Disney World officially closed on March 16.