Oil and gas workers in Oklahoma aren’t the only ones losing their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the oil crisis. Regal Entertainment headquartered in Tennessee notified the Oklahoma Workforce Development office on Wednesday that it was closing its three cinemas in Moore, Broken Arrow and Midwest City and being forced to lay off 892 workers.
The company announced temporary furloughs in March but since then, things have changed.
“At the time these temporary furloughs were announced, Regal did not believe there was a reasonable probability that the furloughs would last more than four to six weeks,” explained Lorie Walker, Vice President of Legal Affairs for Regal Cinemas.
“Regal has determined that while it is still unlikely, it is now reasonably foreseeable that these furloughs could, at least in part, last for a sufficient duration to qualify as layoffs amounting to “employment losses” under applicable law.”
She said the company reached the decision after extended applicable government shutdown orders including Gov. Stitt’s March 24 Safer at Home order and his April 2 extension.
The layoffs include 179 employees in Moore, 149 in Broken Arrow and 118 in Midwest City.
Source: Office of Workforce Development