Las Vegas Workers at Odds With Mayor on Reopening the City

Las Vegas casino and hotel employees are coming forward to disagree with Mayor Carolyn Goodman after she called for the businesses to reopen amid the COVID-19 pandemic on Wednesday. Many of them claim they are afraid to return to work without a clear safety plan for themselves and guests.

"I want us open in the city of Las Vegas so our people can go back to work," Goodman said in an interview with CNN. However, when asked how casinos and hotels should go about limiting the spread of the coronavirus, she responded, "That's up to them to figure out. I don't own a casino."

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While Goodman is not the only one who has called for the city to reopen to save its dwindling economy, the mayor has not provided any kind of plan to incorporate safety measures into the hotels and casinos. Matt Maddox, CEO of Wynn Resorts, has also called for Las Vegas to reopen in a report on Sunday. However, he provided a plan in which businesses would reopen incrementally and take precautions including thermal cameras and social distancing.

Now Las Vegas hospitality workers, and even the unions that represent them, are speaking out against the mayor’s rash request.

"We're not test subjects. We're people. We are employees," Alexander Acosta, a bartender with the Caesar Forum Conference Center, told NBC News. "We try to live every day as we can. We shouldn't be test subjects."

Jay Blake, who works in a VIP lounge at a Las Vegas casino, said that while he understands Goodman's eagerness to reopen, he does not think she "put a lot of thought into what it could mean if we reopen too soon."

Dee Kenny, a 64-year-old casino security officer with underlying health issues stated, "There's no proper protocols in place anywhere. I'm not going to go back until I'm not at risk."

D. Taylor, the president of UNITE Here, which represents over 300,000 hospitality workers, said that Goodman’s statement was "one of the worst things I've heard."

The Culinary Union, which represents the largest segment of workers on the Strip, said 11 members have died from COVID-19. Nevada has reported 4,081 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 172 deaths.

Nevada governor Steve Sisolak seems to share similar sentiments, informing the public that Nevada will reopen "when the time is right” in a tweet on Wednesday.