MGM Resorts Lays Off 18,000 Employees Nationwide Today

Nearly 18,000 employees at MGM Resorts International, the largest employer in the state, found out that their furloughs turned into layoffs, effective today. Before the coronavirus pandemic, the company employed about 52,000 in Las Vegas, MGM Resorts did not announce the number of local staff laid off. These layoffs effect MGM Resorts properties nationwide.

The news came on the heels of the Mirage reopening on Thursday.

In a letter to employees obtained by the Las Vegas Sun on Friday, CEO Bill Hornbuckle says he “understands the impact this will have on these employees and their families.” While most of the MGM Resorts’ casinos have reopened in Las Vegas, with the exception of the Park MGM and NoMad Hotel, many reduced staff, and all only permit 50 percent capacity, follow social distancing guidelines, and enforce mandatory masks due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The letter notes that the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of 1988, also known as the WARN Act, requires companies with 100 or more employees to notify staff about mass layoffs 60 days in advance. “Regrettably, August 31 marks the date of separation for thousands of MGM Resorts employees whom we have not yet been able to bring back,” Hornbuckle writes in the letter.

Employees who are not returning to work retain their health coverage through the end of September. Hornbuckle says that as demand grows, laid-off employees could still be called back to their jobs based on seniority and position through December 31.

Laid-off employees can also receive help through the company’s Employee Emergency Grant Fund, which has paid out $12 million so far, through November 29.

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