MGM Grand Detroit to lay off 1,100 employees

MGM Grand Detroit is laying off 1,100 employees as part of a national workforce reduction amid the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, casino officials said.

“Unfortunately, the pandemic continues to impact many businesses, including our own,” David Tsai, president and COO of MGM Resorts International, wrote in a letter sent to impacted employees late last week. “Due to the mandated capacity restrictions and business demand, many of our amenities and venues remain closed for the time being. With these positions currently unavailable, it has not been possible to bring back all of our employees.”

Nationally 18,000 employees, more than one-quarter of MGM Resorts’s pre-pandemic U.S. workforce, received pink slips. Tsai referenced MGM Resorts CEO Bill Hornbuckle’s letter Friday stating that employees not yet brought back to the casino will be laid off from MGM Resorts as of Tuesday.

MGM Grand Detroit had 2,800 employees before the shutdown in March. The casino reopened Aug. 5 after being closed for more than four months to slow the spread of COVID-19. The casinos is operating at a state-mandated 15% occupancy. 

Impacted employees will remain on the company’s recall list, Tsai said, as it progresses through its phased reopening. Those who return to work before December 31, 2021, will retain seniority and immediately resume benefits, he said.

“…We’ve established a seamless system to welcome them back based on business needs and position,” Tsai wrote. Health benefits for separated employees enrolled in MGM Resorts health care plans will be extended until Sept. 30.

cwilliams@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @CWilliams_DN