Those workers had been furloughed, still receiving benefits, through the end of August
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GM Resorts International notified a large majority of its entertainment and sports division employees Monday that they will be laid off effective Aug. 31.
A notice was filed in accordance with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN Act), a US labor law that protects employees by requiring most employers with 100 or more employees to provide 60 calendar-day advance notification of plant closings and mass layoffs.
Those employees had been furloughed, still receiving benefits, through the end of August, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. Those benefits halt Sept. 1.
MGM told its employees that it had originally hoped the casino closures would be brief and full operations could be restored. But the pandemic has progressed, and based on currently available data, it doesn’t look like “it will be safe to restart shows prior to August 31, 2020.”
The company says it plans to reopen its entertainment and sports venues when it is safe and informed those laid off they hoped to call back as many as possible. Across the company, some 63,000 MGM Resorts employees had been informed in May that they would be furloughed until Aug. 31, with callbacks depending on suppressing COVID-19’s impact in the market.
In a statement, MGM Resorts International Director of Media Relations Brian Ahern said, “Given that it is unlikely that concerts and other entertainment events will be returning to Las Vegas in the next month, it has unfortunately impacted the employees who support those shows. We’ve pledged to be as transparent and supportive as possible with employees and are working to reduce the impact and help them moving forward.
“We’re continuing to coordinate with public officials and look forward to the time when we can bring back employees to support our entertainment offerings and relaunch entertainment for our guests.”
The company has declined to specify how many employees have been affected by the notice. Those affected are hotel entertainment directors, venue managers, and ushers. In May, the company cut several upper-level executives, including longtime officials in its entertainment division.
