Posted on 06/02/2010 5:19:49 PM PDT by The Magical Mischief Tour
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Gaylord Entertainment announced plans Wednesday to release more than 1,700 employees at its Opryland Resort in the wake of historic flooding that hit the Nashville area last month.
Since May 3, Gaylord has been providing its Opryland employees with full pay and benefits.
However, as a result of the timeline associated with the reopening of the resort, the company will release 1,743 employees, effective next Saturday, June 12.
In a press release posted on BusinessWire.com and sent to News 2, Gaylord said it will continue to make healthcare benefits available at the same cost to employees through September.
Additionally, the company said it will provide affected employees with two weeks of pay, plus payment for any unused vacation days.
"We are deeply sorry to have to make this incredibly difficult decision, as our employees are and have always been the driving force behind the success of our business," Colin V. Reed, chairman and chief executive officer of Gaylord Entertainment, said in the release.
He continued, "We are grateful for everything our employees have done to make Gaylord Opryland a wonderful place to work and visit, and thank them for the courage and commitment they have shown over the last month."
Kevin Clay was among the employees who learned of the layoffs Wednesday morning.
The bus and shuttle driver was hired to work at the Opryland Hotel in April, just days before the flood.
He told News 2 Gaylord General Manager Peter Weien broke the news to employees in a special meeting called at Two Rivers Baptist Church.
"As we walked into the auditorium they were splitting us off, certain people were going to the chapel, certain people were going to the auditorium," Clay recalled. "We started to put two and two together."
Clay said he worked more than 24 hours straight during the flood, transporting hotel guests to other hotels, shelters and even the airport.
He told News 2 he stood by the company during the flood and now feels betrayed.
"They sideswiped us bad here," he said. "I mean you had to figure it was coming but don't lead us to a point and throw us off a cliff."
Despite the day's frustration, Clay said he'd go back to Opryland when the reopen if given the opportunity, adding, "I would love to go back to work for them."
Gaylord officials estimate remediation and rebuilding costs from the flood will range from $215 million to $225 million, including as much as $172 million for the hotel and $17 million for the Grand Ole Opry House.
The company said they plan to reopen the Grand Ole Opry House on October 1 and the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center on November 15.
In the meantime, Gaylord Opryland said it will continue to employ 919 employees, primarily in the areas of reservations, accounting, sales, IT, engineering, horticulture and security.
Obama doesn’t care about white people.
Obama hates Scots-Irish people!
I’m sure a hard call. But hm. An organization of mine was going to meet there sometime around opening time. Maybe we won’t be going to Nashville...
Only himself.
How does Obama enter into this?
How did President Bush enter into Hurricane Katrina?
I’m not sure when it became a conservative standard that employers must maintain their entire workforce when there is no revenue to pay them. I do know it makes no sense to me.
The resort has been paying full wages. They will continue to make health insurance available - including the employer contribution, apparently.
But they won’t continue to pay people they can’t afford to keep working, so they’re bad guys...
I think the world is upside down.
George Bush Hates Black People
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDMyArnIdzY
I'm with you. We took a 10% pay cut and furlough through the worst of our employer's downturn, and there was possibility of more, but we recognized our employer was trying to keep us all and the cuts (reportedly) went to the top in the organization -- where allowed by law.
But to be blunt, if it had gone as deep as Gaylord, ZERO income for an extended period, there would have been no choice. And I (at least) could have wound up working for the competition instead. That's how the game is played.
As bad as this is, NO ONE cares about Gaylord!!!
Did O ever go to Nashville? He never came to Houston about Ike (wasn’t president then though).
No, I don’t think he did. But it’s a toss-up as to who’s worse, him or Gaylord.
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