With walkout threat, Disney finds itself in balancing act

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — With some workers across the U.S. threatening a walkout Tuesday, The Walt Disney Co. finds itself in a balancing act between the expectations of a diverse workforce and demands from an increasingly polarized, politicized marketplace.

On the one side are LGBTQ advocates and Disney employees calling for a walkout in protest of CEO Bob Chapek's slow response in publicly criticizing Florida legislation that critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The legislation bars instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade.

On the other are politicians like Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who accuse the entertainment conglomerate of bending to cancel culture after a Disney decision to temporarily suspend political contributions in the state. According to Disney's conservative critics, the company should be in the business of making profits instead of pushing an agenda.

Evan Power, chairman of the Leon County Republican Party, said he believes a strident minority of Disney employees are pushing the issue and DeSantis has more to gain by taking the side of parents who want more control over education and “sexual conversations” in early grades at school. DeSantis is viewed as a likely Republican presidential candidate in 2024.

“I think it pays dividends with parents across the state of Florida regardless of political divisions,” Power said.

Officials for the unions that represent tens of thousands of workers at Disney theme parks in Florida and Anaheim, California — including the hundreds of costumed performers who portray Mickey Mouse, Cinderella and Stitch at Walt Disney World — said there didn’t appear to be any momentum for a walkout.

“We are not in support of that,” Romualdas Dulskis, a Teamsters official...