Furloughed employees to be let go
Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun Casino told employees this week that layoffs are coming. Furloughed employees who have not been called back by September’s end will be laid off permanently. The total number of employees who will lose their jobs is unknown.
The casino continues to call back employees to their original positions as operations continue. Others who are not offered their previous roles are being placed in open positions within the gaming venue.
Getting back to work at the Mohegan Sun
The Mohegan Sun furloughed its full workforce back in mid-March when casinos were forced to close because of the coronavirus pandemic. The casino partially reopened on June 1, recalling 3,828 employees, or about 75% of its workforce.
President and general manager of the Mohegan Sun, Jeff Hamilton, broke the news to employees about the impending layoffs:
As a result of the impact of COVID-19, effective September 30th, 2020 Mohegan Sun will conclude our furlough program that has been in place since March 2020.”
Hamilton stated further that the casino is working with the affected team members to find new positions within the company. They are also offering retraining for areas that have a higher demand, like table games.
The casino called the decision difficult and stated that it was the reduced capacity of the facility and closure of some amenities that led to the layoffs.
Larger impact than expected
A YouTube video was created for employees, with Hamilton speaking about the layoffs and current state of affairs. He points out that when the casino closed in March, he said that employees would not lose their jobs. At the time, he believed that the impact from the virus would be minimal. He expected a week or two of closure instead of over two months and lower capacity upon reopening.
Hamilton stated that there are jobs available within the casino and they should be applied for over the coming weeks. Employees who take on new roles within the casino over the next few months will not be “rehired” but “reinstated.”