Navajo Casino Employees Might Stop Receiving Paychecks

Employees of the Navajo Nation casinos have been told to prepare for the possibility they will not receive paychecks while on administrative leave.

The tribe's three casinos in northwestern New Mexico and one in northern Arizona have been shuttered for months because of the coronavirus. But the 1,180 majority Navajo employees have remained on the payroll with benefits. Brian Parrish heads the Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise. He says a final decision on layoffs will come over the weekend. He says the enterprise is running low on cash reserves but has submitted proposals to tribal leaders for a share of federal virus relief money that went directly to the tribal government.