Spa City layoffs issued
Saratoga Casino Hotel, Gideon Putnam file long-term furlough lists
The day before the thoroughbred season is set to begin without spectators, two of the city’s best-known businesses, the Gideon Putnam hotel and Saratoga Casino Hotel, issued notices of long-term layoffs.
The Gideon Putnam’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN Act notice, was filed on Tuesday, confirming that 114 people who have been furloughed or temporarily laid off due to the COVID-19 pandemic are unlikely to get their jobs back anytime soon.
And the Saratoga Casino Hotel on Wednesday announced it was filing a WARN Act notice for 401 furloughed employees.
Saratoga Casino Hotel had offered video lottery terminals or electronic slot machines until the pandemic shut down all state-licensed gaming facilities in mid-march. The hotel also closed at that time.
Under federal labor regulations, employers of more than 50 people have to post WARN notices if furloughs or layoffs are expected to run beyond six months. With many furloughs and layoffs occurring in March, they are likely to be considered permanent job losses if they aren’t restored in September or October.
Not everything at the Casino Hotel complex is closed, said Marketing Director Amy Brannigan.
“It’s kind of a unique situation,” she said. The hotel reopened last Friday and the harness track remains open although there are no spectators.
Harness fans can still place wagers on saratogabets.com and other online sites or apps. Additionally, the Jackpot Deli opens on Thursday, with simulcasting of horse races.
The facility’s Morton’s steakhouse restaurant is also open Wednesday through Sunday nights.
The Gideon Putnam hotel, owned by the Delaware North company and located in Saratoga Spa State Park, has been closed since the spring.
Without fans in town for the thoroughbred racing season, other hotels in Saratoga Springs have also issued WARN layoff notices, including the Holiday Inn and Hilton.
Earlier in the week, New York’s licensed, full-service casinos, including Rivers in
Schenectady, Resorts World Catskills in Monticello, Tioga Downs in the Southern Tier and del Lago in Central New York, put in their WARN notices.
The Vernon Downs harness track and video lottery terminal also filed a WARN notice.
The Oneida tribe’s Turning Stone casino and hotel operation between Syracuse and Utica have been open since they are not under state control.
Scores of other businesses ranging from restaurants to retailers and health services have also closed and posted WARN notices.
Planned Parenthood organizations from Long Island up through the Adirondacks on Monday put in their WARN notices.
They had furloughed and laid off workers in April.