Hotels, restaurants and a movie theater in Montgomery County are laying or furloughing off up to 366 workers because of the coronavirus crisis, according to worker dislocation notices filed with the Maryland Department of Labor.
The dislocation notices were filed under the federal Worker Adjustment Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, which requires large employers to give at least 60 days’ notice of business closures and mass layoffs. The notices for all six businesses were dated May 15.
All of the notices are for mass layoffs, and not closures. Copies of the filings obtained by Bethesda Beat state that the layoffs are related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In their notices, companies generally state the maximum number of layoffs or furloughs they expect.
Restaurants
Restaurants in Montgomery County have been closed for sit-down service since March 16 following an executive order from Gov. Larry Hogan.
Bethesda’s Uncle Julio’s has stayed open for takeout and delivery. Up to 50 employees could be out of work due to the health crisis, its WARN notice stated.
According to the website for the Texas-based chain, most employees have been furloughed due to restaurant dining rooms being closed, and an online donation page has been set up for the workers. Representatives from Uncle Julio’s could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Miller’s Ale House in Rockville has also stayed open for pickup and delivery. As many as 74 employees could be off the job, according to its dislocation notice.
“We furloughed our Rockville restaurant staff on April 1 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The location is open for to-go and delivery, and we look forward to welcoming our team members and guests back into the restaurant as soon as we are able to do so,” company representatives wrote in an email to Bethesda Beat on Tuesday.
Hotels
The Hyatt Regency Bethesda is laying off up to 95 employees, according to its dislocation notice. The hotel has been closed since March 31 and is set to reopen on June 1, Manager Amit Verma wrote in an email to Bethesda Beat on Tuesday. Verma did not comment on the layoffs.
Hyatt wrote on its website on May 11 that decreased demand from the health crisis had led the company to implement layoffs as part of a corporate restructuring. Laid-off workers will be eligible for severance pay, outplacement services and benefits according to their years of service.
“While parting ways with our colleagues is excruciating, we must be sensitive to commercial realities so we can continue to fulfill our purpose of care over the long term — through this pandemic and for what lies beyond,” President and CEO Mark Hoplamazian wrote.
The Cambria Hotel in Rockville has up to 25 employees who could be displaced, according to its WARN notice. Hotel spokesman Abderrezak Merzoug said in an interview Tuesday that the hotel has stayed open, but some employees have been furloughed during the health crisis.
“When we get over … COVID, they’ll come back,” he said.
The Holiday Inn Gaithersburg on Montgomery Village Avenue has up to 57 workers who could be affected, according to its dislocation notice.
The hotel has been temporarily closed due to the pandemic, according to a voicemail message. Hotel representatives could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.
Movie theater
Movie theaters have been closed in Montgomery County under Hogan’s March 16 order.
Cinepolis, an upscale theater that opened last year in Gaithersburg’s Kentlands shopping development, has up to 65 employees who could be out of work, according to its dislocation notice.
Cinnepolis spokeswoman Annelise Holyoak wrote in an email to Bethesda Beat on Wednesday that the company furloughed the majority of its employees due to the pandemic.
“Cinépolis is covering the cost of their benefits. We hope to bring back furloughed employees in the weeks leading up to our reopening. We will work with local and state governments to reopen in accordance with all regulations and social/physical distancing precautions in place,” she wrote.
Dan Schere can be reached at daniel.schere@moco360.media
