TRAVEL AND TOURISM : Up to 240 Disneyland Workers May Lose Jobs in Round 2 of Layoffs

Disneyland workers are bracing for another round of layoffs.

Up to 2% of all positions at the theme park--as many as 240 jobs--will be cut by September unless attendance drastically improves, Disney theme park chief Judson C. Green said in a recent memo to employees. A similar memo is being circulated at Walt Disney World in Florida.

A 1% or 2% cut may sound modest compared to recent reductions in other Southern California industries such as aerospace, but because Disneyland has such a large staff--it is Orange County’s largest employer--that total would be significant.

The park has 9,000 workers in the off-peak season and 12,000 in the summer, meaning that the staff cut could range from 90 workers to as many as 240. The result of a 2% cut would be more severe in Florida, where the company has 35,000 employees. There, it could mean the loss of as many as 700 jobs.

A Disney spokeswoman said that Green sent the memo to quell rumors about the extent of impending staff cuts. He did not say how the reduction will be done.

Despite lavish spending by Disney on new rides and attractions, the parks are not having a good year. International tourism, particularly to the United States from Asia, has been down because of concerns about crime and natural calamities in both California and Florida, Green said in interviews last month.

The parks already trimmed their payrolls once this year, with about 60 positions cut at Disneyland in February. And the company has encouraged older workers to retire by imposing deadlines to take advantage of health benefits.