By JOSH RESNEK
Despite their original best efforts to meet the state’s strict Coronavirus rules and regulations, Encore has been fined and warned to take action against further incidents.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission chastised Encore for a large party held on its premises inside the hotel by more than 100 people, most of whom were not wearing masks, in contravention of strict measures ordering otherwise by the state.
The mid-August incident was noted by an employee and reported to Encore officials, who apparently did nothing for three hours until ordering the room vacated.
Subsequently, the MGC at its meeting last Thursday, awarded Encore Boston Harbor mid-March, are now being incrementally laid off permanently.
Encore reported laying off 385 employees this week, nearly all of whom had been earlier furloughed.
The company’s presently paid employee roll is somewhere between 1000-1500 a far cry from the original 5,000 trained and ready to work when the doors opened in June 2019.
“We continue to operate at a significantly reduced capacity because of the effort to minimize the spread of the virus,” said an Encore official.
“As we take a look at our business during these extraordinary conditions, we do not believe that all Encore Boston Harbor jobs will return in 2020.”
The layoffs were effective as of Tuesday.
MGM Casino in Spring- field laid 1,000 employees last week for similar reasons.