From cooks at the Hard Rock Cafe inside, to Slot Attendants who would typically be working a busy casino floor right now, nearly 1,500 employees of the Four Winds Casino operations have been placed on temporary furlough due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In a letter received on Monday by the Michigan State Talent Investment Agency in Lansing, Four Winds Chief Operating Officer Frank Freedman served official notice that the Pokagon Gaming Authority “has implemented a temporary furlough for non-essential employees at all locations in Michigan and Indiana effective April 13th, due to the impact of COVID-19.”
Freedman’s letter is required by the WARN Act which tracks company layoffs, furloughs and termination notices.
The letter to the Workforce Development Agency for the State of Michigan is a single page, in and of itself, but includes four pages detailing every single job title and the number of employees impacted by the furlough for a total of 1, 489 positions temporarily out of work.
Freedman says, “Due to the rapid onset of COVID-19, for the safety and well-being of the employees, the casino has suspended services and is not open to the public.” He makes a point of noting, “This is temporary, although the date when the casino may resume operations is unknown, all employees will be recalled once a date is determined.”
Freedman concludes, “Due to the unforeseen business circumstances and natural disaster precipitating this closure, prior notice could not be provided. Four Winds Casino does not anticipate using any bumping rights as there is no intention that positions will be eliminated.”
The furlough includes staff members from all four Four Winds Casinos under the Pokagon flag located in New Buffalo, Hartford, Dowagiac and South Bend. Each of the casinos was shuttered in light of pandemic on March 17th.
You can see Freedman’s letter and the job listings by clicking the link below:
2020-04-13_Four_Winds_Casinos_WARN_687002_7
The photo accompanying this story on Moody on the Market is for illustration purposes only, and does not depict actual machines at a Four Winds Casino property.
