Some Las Vegas Strip workers wary of returning during pandemic

Strip casino operators may need to persuade more than just visitors to come back.

A number of Strip casino operators have laid out updated safety procedures over the last couple of weeks, with plans to use masks, conduct temperature checks at entrances and rearrange floors to allow for social distancing.

But will their furloughed and laid-off workers feel safe enough to return to the job?

Some, like furloughed Aria dealer Matthew Miller, believe those measures will make it safe to return to work. Miller said he’s not worried about getting the virus.

“I’m a healthy person. I wash my hands a lot. I’ll be able to wear a mask,” the MGM employee said. “This is just the new normal, at least for the foreseeable future.”

But others, like furloughed Planet Hollywood poker dealer Robert Elwell, say only time and a vaccine would get them back to work — despite the financial challenges posed by an uncertain job outlook.

“I don’t feel comfortable going back to work, especially because I’m older,” said Elwell, 55. “(Some) want to get back to work and make money, and I don’t care. My life is more important to me.”

Attacking the virus

A number of local operators have discussed updated operating procedures when they reopen.

Wynn Resorts Ltd. said April 19 that it would use thermal cameras to check temperatures at entrances, advise guests to stand at least 6 feet apart, spread out the property’s physical layouts and have all employees wear masks.

In a quarterly earnings call April 22, Las Vegas Sands Corp. President and COO Robert Goldstein said that the company would look to Hong Kong for guidance on how to operate once it reopens its Las Vegas properties. The special administrative region of China has adapted to the use of temperature checks, masks, gloves and social distancing.

MGM Resorts International released a statement saying that operations may include “restrictions on the number of seats per table game, slot machine spacing, temperature checks, mask protection as well as other measures at our restaurants and entertainment venues to enforce social distancing measures.”

Caesars Entertainment Corp. spokesman Richard Broome told the Review-Journal that the company “will build on the hygiene, cleaning and distancing protocols which were coming into practice when properties were ordered to close last month” and it would reopen “by strictly following state guidelines to create a work environment that’s appropriate for our team members.”

Those protocols include increased availability of hand sanitizer, slot machines cleaned every three hours, every other slot machine turned off, every other position at table games removed, restaurant tables separated by 6 feet, and reduced bar capacity by half.

Treasure Island spokeswoman Jennifer Renzelman said the company is forming an internal health and safety plan for guests and employees and is working with vendors “to procure appropriate safety and sanitation measures.”

Employee, guest comfort

Bobbie Barnes, an assistant professor in residence at UNLV’s College of Hospitality, said while there are sure to be some workers who feel uncomfortable returning to work during the outbreak, transparent communication between workers and the company is key in putting their minds at ease.

She pointed to Wynn’s latest health guidelines, which break down sanitation plans by individual departments.

“When you see that level of detail … you know (these operators are) working out every scenario,” Barnes said. “It’s going to be structured, and I think that’ll give workers comfort.”

That comfort could, in turn, result in better service for guests.

“If an employee doesn’t feel comfortable being at work, they can’t provide great work, and that’s the key to Vegas,” she said. “If we want to get back to normal, it’s really about having these standards in place and making sure employees know their value.”

Barnes added that it’s important for companies to remain flexible if a worker doesn’t feel safe immediately returning to work.

Because the reopenings will be a slow ramp-up with only a portion of jobs returning at once, she believes companies will have the ability to initially bring back only workers who are ready and allow those who are wary to remain home and get called back at a later date.

Culinary Union Local 226, which represents about 60,000 workers, can negotiate furloughed employees’ return date if they’re nervous about working during the outbreak, according to spokeswoman Bethany Khan. The union has members in most Strip and downtown Las Vegas hotel-casinos.

“We started negotiating the effects of coronavirus before the shutdown and continue daily with casino companies,” she said. An agreement has yet to be reached.

Mixed bag

Elwell, who was working as a poker dealer before Caesars Entertainment Corp. furloughed 90 percent of its U.S. employees, said he doesn’t want to return to a job that puts him or his family at risk of contracting COVID-19.

“I touch cards, I touch the chips — we touch everything the customer touches,” he said. “What if I go to work, get sick and bring it home to my (13-year-old) daughter?”

Elwell doesn’t want to return until the virus is no longer enough of a threat that it requires heightened safety measures — like the use of masks.

Meanwhile, Todd Henderson, a furloughed ticket writer for Treasure Island, said he’s excited to return to the job after being shut indoors for weeks.

“It’ll be nice to interact with people,” he said. “I’m not concerned, as long as people follow (the orders and) wear a mask, stay 6 feet away.”

He expects it’ll be a bit of an adjustment to get used to wearing a mask every day and wiping down counters more frequently, if those are his instructions.

“You wear a mask and get mumbled,” he said. “It’s just a matter of getting used to it.”

Barb Licht, a nonunion craps dealer at The Venetian, said she has “no problem” with being told to wear a mask on the job, but it would be hard to do her job with additional personal protective equipment.

“There’s not a single dealer that can deal craps, or any game, properly with a pair of gloves,” she said. “I was worried about the chips because those are touched by everybody. If they can sanitize those things, that’s a big one.”

Overall, she said she feels like she and her colleagues will “be fine” with the extra measures in place.

Elwell said he understands why some companies are itching to open their doors as soon as possible, with businesses and workers alike confronting financial struggles during the shutdowns. While he’d have to work out finances in the long run — he said he’s currently receiving unemployment insurance benefits — he said no job is a better alternative to getting sick.

“I may have to take a leave of absence; I don’t know,” he said. “But I know a lot of dealers don’t feel comfortable going back.”

The Review-Journal is owned by the family of Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson. Las Vegas Sands operates The Venetian and Palazzo.

Contact Bailey Schulz at bschulz@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0233. Follow @bailey_schulz on Twitter.