Wynn CEO: Workers to get paid during closures

Following MGM Resorts International’s announced layoffs and furloughs Friday, Wynn Resorts Ltd. CEO Matt Maddox sent a video to employees Friday night assuring workers their jobs are safe as the industry experiences a downturn from the coronavirus pandemic.

“What we’re going to do during these challenging times is makes sure that all of our full-time employees — whether you’re in a closed outlet or you’re working here — will be getting their pay,” Maddox said in the video obtained by the Review-Journal.

In another segment of the video, Wynn Las Vegas President Marilyn Spiegel announced several new changes and closures at the Wynn and Encore. With the already upcoming closures of the casinos’ racebook, sportsbook, poker room, buffet, nightclubs and theater presentations, Spiegel said that starting Sunday the Wynn’s spa will be closed.

And major changes are coming to the floor of the casinos with reduced seating at bars, some chairs taken away from gaming tables and “every other slot machine” being turned off to keep people separated. Also starting on Sunday, Wynn restaurants will seat only 100 people at a time.

“It’s truly to keep our employees and our guests safe,” Spiegel said about the closures. “Those areas we identified as having a lot of close personal contact.”

A letter sent to employees March 6 and obtained by the Review-Journal outlined precautionary measures the company has taken to keep employees and guests healthy and safe.

“We’re going to work each and every day to ensure the safety of all of you and that you know that we’re going to do everything we can for you to keep your job,” Maddox said in the video to employees.

The video also acknowledged the “rolling closures” happening during the coronavirus outbreak.

“We’re going to have rolling closures in various outlets — our spa, salon, we announced our nightclubs are closed, theaters,” he said.

Maddox also said employees should expect that “our business volumes are going to be basically empty over the next few weeks.”

“That to me is not our concern; what our concern is that we all get through this together,” he said.

A letter from MGM Resorts International sent to the company’s workforce Friday said that layoffs have begun at the company “in areas most immediately impacted by the slowdown in demand.”

About 150 food and beverage outlets at the company will be closed Monday, with more closing on a rolling basis, according to the letter obtained by the Review-Journal.

Specific numbers of affected employees were not available late Friday. MGM representatives did not respond to requests for comment.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter. Review-Journal staff writer Bailey Schulz contributed to this report.