A letter obtained recently by Detroit News suggests that the Greektown Casino Hotel is planning to permanently lay off its staff members starting September. The layoffs come as the company is impacted because of shutdowns related to the coronavirus shutdown.

Layoffs expected soon

The letter that Detroit News mentioned was sent by the hotel’s general manager John Drake in which he talked about reducing the number of staff at the property. He was referring to permanent layoffs in the company. However, he did not mention how many employees will be let go during this process.

The letter states that the layoffs will begin on September 15 and will continue for 14 days after that as well. The letter suggests, “This layoff will be permanent, but the facility will remain open.” It also mentioned bumping rights for all affected union employees.

The Casino and the president of the union, Unite Here Local 24, representing the operator’s workers have not commented on the letter yet.

What else does the letter state?

In this letter, the manager said that the layoffs are a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the business circumstances that arise thereof. It said that the circumstances were “sudden, dramatic, and beyond our control.” He added that the impact of the pandemic on the business were not reasonably foreseeable up till June.

He wrote,

“We simply could not foresee, that the initial closures of our properties, that were issued by one or two states for a limited period of time, ultimately spread throughout all states in which we operate and eventually be extended, interrupting almost all business and travel temporarily.”

Casinos in Detroit were shut down on March 16, just like hundreds of gaming properties around the US because of the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, most casino operators were left with no option but to furlough employees and wait for two months to see their properties reopen.