MGM Resorts to mandate COVID vaccination for new hires, salaried workers

MGM Resorts International volition soon necessitate COVID-19 vaccines for each caller hires and existent salaried employees crossed the U.S.

Starting Aug. 30, each caller hires astatine MGM Resorts properties successful the U.S. volition beryllium required to supply impervious that they are afloat vaccinated against the virus, MGM President and CEO Bill Hornbuckle said successful a missive to employees Monday. Salaried employees volition beryllium required to amusement impervious by Oct. 15. The argumentation affects those employees who bash not exclusively enactment from home.

The caller argumentation marks a ramping up of COVID-19 vaccine requirements by 1 of the state’s largest employers arsenic the Delta variant continues to surge passim Southern Nevada. The institution successful July implemented a argumentation to necessitate each of its Las Vegas employees to amusement impervious of vaccine oregon wage for regular COVID-19 tests.

“I cognize that for immoderate of you this whitethorn beryllium an unwelcome improvement — a information that we did not instrumentality lightly erstwhile making this decision,” Hornbuckle wrote successful the letter. “However, arsenic 1 of the largest and astir trusted operators and employers successful our industry, MGM Resorts is determined to bash our portion to curb the dispersed of the microorganism and assistance antagonistic alarming trends successful cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Vaccination is the astir effectual instrumentality successful doing so.”

Hornbuckle added that helium has spoken to household members of employees who person died from the virus, saying he’s “seen firsthand the devastation it tin cause.”

“We’ve each seen the interaction this pandemic has had connected our community, system and industry. I firmly judge we indispensable bash each that we tin to bring this nationalist wellness exigency to an end,” helium said.

MGM has much than 6,000 salaried employees nationwide, institution spokesperson Brian Ahern said successful a statement.

MGM’s caller argumentation does not impact presently employed hourly workers, but the institution said they are looking astatine ways to grow its caller vaccine requirement.

“Our extremity is to get arsenic galore radical vaccinated arsenic possible. We’re continuing to research a assortment of ways to bash that, including expanding vaccination requirements among our workforce. This is an incredibly analyzable concern and we’re examining however expanded policies would perchance enactment and beryllium implemented,” Ahern said.

MGM holds pop-up vaccine clinics astatine each of their Strip properties connected a regular basis, with doses disposable to employees, their families, entertainers and employees of third-party vendors.

MGM operates 10 edifice properties connected the Strip, including MGM Grand, Bellagio, Aria, Vdara, Excalibur, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, The Mirage, New York-New York and ParkMGM.

This is simply a processing story. Check backmost for updates.

Contact Colton Lochhead astatine clochhead@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ColtonLochhead connected Twitter.