Disney workers are suing the company, alleging they were misled into moving from California to Florida for work, only for plans of a new office campus in Florida to be later canceled.
In July 2021, Disney announced that around 2,000 workers would be relocated to a new campus in Orlando to enhance collaboration among different teams.
The big picture: Workers were encouraged to move with promises of a state-of-the-art workplace and greater affordability in Florida, despite their ties to California and concerns about uprooting their families.
- By late 2021, Disney asked employees to halt their moving plans as many resisted relocation. Some workers, like lead plaintiffs Maria De La Cruz and George Fong, had already sold their California homes and purchased homes in Florida in anticipation of the move.
- However, in June 2022, Disney informed the California workers that the opening of the new Orlando campus was being delayed and that relocation could be postponed until 2026, although workers were still encouraged to relocate by 2024.
Go deeper: The delay in the relocation plans coincided with a dispute between Disney and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over LGBTQ education laws, ultimately leading to the cancellation of the Orlando campus project in May 2023.
- Workers who had already moved to Florida expressed concerns about job security and the lack of facilities to accommodate their teams in Florida, leading many to consider moving back to California.
- Some workers, including De La Cruz and Fong, have already moved back to California or plan to do so, seeking undisclosed economic and punitive damages due to the situation.
