When the Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino in northern California closed in October due to infighting between factions of the Chukchansi tribe that rose to the level of an armed incursion by one of the groups into the casino, many casino employees were left high and dry.
Now, more than six months later, most who lost their jobs have come to the end of their unemployment benefits.
Some, such as Mary Burks, a former card dealer who worked for the casino beginning in 2004, interviewed by the Fresno Bee, stands to lose the 3,000 square foot house she and her husband have owned for 18 years. She told the Bee, “I think the focus has been on what happened to the casino and the tribe and we’ve kind of gotten lost, over 1,000 people,”
She added, “Everything we had went into that home. We customized it, expanded it.” Now they will have to walk away from it.
That 1,000 workers includes 500 from Madera County and 400 from Fresno County. Some plan to seek work in other industries, such as farming. Others seek retraining and some will try to get their high school diplomas. Some are taking courses to learn English.
Some have found work with the nearby Black Oak Casino Resort in Tuolumne County and Table Mountain Casino in Friant.
To reopen the tribe will need the permission of the federal government and the state as well as bondholders who hold the casino’s debt of more than $250 million. They would need to come up with more money to reopen the casino.
Tribal Chairman Reggie Lewis thinks that could happen by the end of 2015.
According to a spokesman for California Governor Jerry Brown, “We’re continuing to work with all parties to help facilitate a reopening when public safety concerns are met.”
A tribal election that was originally scheduled for May was rescheduled to October so that the same council that started negotiations with the state and National Indian Gaming Commission can finish the job.
If the casino reopens it is likely that former workers will be offered their old jobs back, said Lewis. He points out that many tribal members have also been hit by the closure. “Our tribal members got pretty used to getting tribal benefits and the tribe could provide services to tribal members, but now those are all gone,” he told the Bee.
