Nellis Cab to lay off 160 employees in Las Vegas
Nellis Cab Co. is set to permanently lay off 160 employees Sept. 19.
The affected positions were initially furloughed March 20, when Nellis Cab anticipated the layoffs would not be permanent, expecting them to last only six months.
“Nellis’ decision to now permanently lay off these employees is the result of unforeseeable business circumstances that were not known at the March 20 commencement of the layoffs,” Nellis Cab General Manager Michelle Langille said in a letter the company filed as part of the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. “In particular, although some of the hotels and casinos that our taxis serve have not come back as fast as we thought with the June 4 reopening of gaming operations, the reason now for this notice and the planned permanent layoffs is the resurgence of the coronavirus and the difficulties in containing it.”
The letter goes on to state that although it appeared the coronavirus pandemic was on the downward trend in Las Vegas, the recent case spike affected the tourism industry in Southern Nevada.
The letter cites fears that with positive COVID-19 cases on the rise, Gov. Steve Sisolak could re-close some businesses that were shut down in Phase One of the state’s reopening plan, noting the re-closing of bars that took place July 10.
“All indications are that additional shutdown orders and other limitations will be reimposed in the very near future, which can only serve to further slow a return to normal operations,” Langille said in the WARN Act letter.
Aside from the 160 employees being laid off, Nellis Cab also alerted 135 employees not being permanently laid off that they may not return to work within the six months as originally projected in March.
Nellis Cab is now projecting these employees could be brought back to work sometime around mid-December. The company also stated the possibility of some permanently laid-off employees being rehired as conditions improve but did not have a timeline when that could occur.
Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.
