SAN ANTONIO — Big or small, no business has been spared by the ongoing pandemic and its economic fallout across the country. Now, hundreds of SeaWorld San Antonio employees are out of a job after mass layoffs this week.
On Friday, a termination letter was sent to 242 furloughed employees. An unnamed employee shared their paperwork with KENS 5.
The termination letter reads, in part:
"While we had hoped that we would be able to return all Ambassadors to work, the continued uncertainty, capacity limitations and challenging business environment require us to focus on meeting current priorities, needs and demand. As such, I regret to inform you that your employment with SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, Inc. will terminate as of September 4, 2020."
The employee, who worked at SeaWorld for several years, told KENS 5 they are receiving four weeks of severance pay under the condition that they keep quiet.
In the termination paperwork, there's a non-disparagement clause that prevents employees from making any negative public comments about the businesses.
"I think I speak for all the ambassadors that worked at SeaWorld, that we understand the reason for the layoff," the employee said. "But it could have been handled in a much better fashion."
SeaWorld temporarily closed in March and furloughed the vast majority of its workforce soonafter. The park reopened at reduced capacity in June.
In a letter to the Texas Workforce Commission, Park President Byron Surrett said attendance has been impacted by self-imposed limitations and consumer concerns regarding COVID-19 and other factors.
"Due to the sudden and unforeseeable economic impacts of the pandemic on our Texas business operations, that were not reasonably foreseeable at the time of the temporary furlough, SeaWorld has determined that it must transition certain park personnel from a furloughed status to a permanent layoff," Surrett said.
All employees impacted by this decision will be eligible to reapply for future positions at the park as they become available.
Attendance is a problem for all of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, Inc. The layoffs are affecting each of its parks in San Antonio, Orlando, Tampa, San Diego and Williamsburg, Virginia.