On July 17th, 2008, weeks after it dismissed eighty-nine of their employees as part of their Chapter 11 bankruptcy cost cutting plans, Greektown Casino will start interviewing four hundred new job applicants for their permanent casino and hotel. Roger Martin said that they are focusing their efforts on hiring Detroit residents for their four hundred room hotel that will open next year. Martin said that they will use Detroit's Workforce Development Department to look for applicants. He added that they want fifty percent of their workforce to be composed of residents from Detroit.
The casino has already given Detroit their screening criteria. Those who will meet the requirements will be invited in a event later this month where they will be interviewed and receive the information about the job that they are applying. Only prescreened applicants will be invited to the event be considered for the positions.
Martin said that the jobs available are in hotel services, catering, housekeeping, restaurant management, food and beverage, security and safety, purchasing, sales and other areas. Salary is the prevailing union wage. Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick said that their Workforce Development Department is currently working hard to get as many Detroit residents prescreened so that they will have a chance to work for good paying jobs. Greektown Casino's temporary gaming facility opened on November 10th, 2000. A parking area was added in November 2007.
The casino's expanded gambling floor will open in late August and the hotel will open in 2009. The permanent casino and hotel will feature a multi-purpose theater, buffet, three restaurants and 25,000 square feet of new gambling space. The total project is expected to cost around $500 million.
Greektown Casino filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on May 29th, 2008 as unpaid bills increased and the casino struggled to obtain additional financing for the project. It was then approved to receive $150 million to pay their expenses and finish the project.
08/04/2008 04:33 PM
Ann Pettersson