Disney in balancing act as walkout actions materialize

By MIKE SCHNEIDER and BRENDAN FARRINGTON
Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — With some workers across the U.S. staging a walkout, The Walt Disney Co. finds itself performing a high-wire act of balancing the expectations of a diverse workforce against demands from an increasingly polarized and politicized marketplace. On the one side are LGBTQ supporters and Disney employees who planned to walk off their jobs Tuesday to protest CEO Bob Chapek’s slow response in publicly opposing what critics call Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. On the other side are politicians like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis who accuse the entertainment conglomerate of being “woke.” It was unclear how many employees would walk out or what might happen to those who do.