All MGM properties, including MGM National Harbor in Prince George’s County, Maryland, will require some current employees and all new hires to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, but the new policy does not yet apply to many customer-facing employees.
The vaccination policy applies to salaried employees not working exclusively at home, who must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 15, and all new hires, both salaried and hourly, before beginning work effective Aug. 30.
The policy does not apply to current hourly employees.
MGM declined to disclose how many of MGM National Harbor’s roughly 3,200 employees are hourly. A spokesman said salaried employees are generally manager-level employees, including table games managers, slots managers and hosts. Dealers, bartenders and other casino floor employees are generally hourly.
While current hourly employees are not included in the vaccine mandate, that may change. Many are covered by collective bargaining agreements, and the casino is in discussions now regarding expanding the vaccine requirements, the spokesman said.
“We’ve all seen the impact this pandemic has had on our community, economy and industry. I firmly believe we must do all that we can to bring this public health emergency to an end,” said MGM Resorts CEO Bill Hornbuckle in a letter sent to employees.
All six of Maryland’s casinos, including MGM National Harbor, are not currently operating with any capacity restrictions. Per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, fully vaccinated guests are not required to wear masks.
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