LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A vaccine mandate policy announced by MGM Resorts in mid-August took partial effect Monday for all new hires.
The company said all hourly and salaried new hires will have to provide proof of vaccination against the coronavirus before they begin work at any property in the U.S.
Salaried employees who don't exclusively work from home will have to provide proof of vaccination by Oct. 15 to continue work.
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Las Vegas attorney Craig Mueller said there will likely be several legal challenges to the policy in the coming days and months, but MGM Resorts likely has a solid legal footing to stand on by citing the negative impact the coronavirus has on business.
"They're going to be dealing with a large number of the public," he said. "If the public is scared witless, and they won't come unless they know everyone has been vaccinated, they've got a pretty good argument that they can do that."
Not all employees are covered in the vaccine mandate.
Currently, employed hourly employees don't have to take the shot, but unvaccinated hourly employees are required to either pay $15 for a weekly on-site COVID test or get a test at another location and provide proof of a negative result.
MGM Resorts had been giving employees incentives through a raffle-like system where workers could win cash, show tickets, restaurant vouchers and more to get more of them vaccinated.
