Disney Blacklisted Displaced American Workers

Rachel Stolzfoos
June 9, 2015
Daily Caller

The American tech workers Disney laid off in January after forcing them to train their foreign replacements were put on a “black list” that disqualified them from hire by any contractor that works with Disney, emails obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation between one of the laid off workers and a recruiting firm show.

The worker, who asked to remain anonymous because he is waiting on legal advice, learned of the black list when he sent his resume and performance review to a local IT recruiting firm that wanted to place him with a company contracting with Disney.

He had plenty of past experience doing similar work for Disney contractors, and had received the highest possible rating on his performance review, so he thought he would be a top candidate for the job.

But in an email sent last week and obtained by TheDCNF, the recruiting firm informed him that he is out of the running because he is on a black list, since he is one of the hundreds of tech workers Disney displaced in January.

Business.

The American tech workers Disney laid off in January after forcing them to train their foreign replacements were put on a “black list” that disqualified them from hire by any contractor that works with Disney, emails obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation between one of the laid off workers and a recruiting firm show.

The worker, who asked to remain anonymous because he is waiting on legal advice, learned of the black list when he sent his resume and performance review to a local IT recruiting firm that wanted to place him with a company contracting with Disney.

He had plenty of past experience doing similar work for Disney contractors, and had received the highest possible rating on his performance review, so he thought he would be a top candidate for the job.
But in an email sent last week and obtained by TheDCNF, the recruiting firm informed him that he is out of the running because he is on a black list, since he is one of the hundreds of tech workers Disney displaced in January. (RELATED: As Floridians Are Displaced, Rubio Demands More Foreign Workers)

“Any Disney employee who leaves Disney or has a contract end (after being on 18 Months) unless it is a unique circumstance, has to wait a certain amount of time before they can be eligible for rehire,” the recruiter said in the email. “Usually that time frame is a year to a year and a half. In this situation it was indeed a year.”

A spokeswoman for Disney denied the current existence of a black list that includes those workers “impacted by the reorganization,” and said in an email to TheDCNF that the recruiting firm simply provided the applicant with the wrong information. She said Disney is calling the firms to ensure they are providing the right information.

“When employees leave for other reasons, based on the situation, there could be a break required before the person is able to return to the same function,” the spokeswoman wrote via email. “But in those situations, the person is able to return immediately in a different capacity.”

Pressed Friday as to whether such a policy disqualifying the displaced workers from contracting work with Disney has ever been in place, she suddenly stopped responding to TheDCNF. Monday afternoon she responded, saying there was never a policy that prevented contractors from hiring the workers.