Letter: Adelson treated employees right

Thursday, Feb. 4, 1999 | 12:01 p.m.

I am also a former Sands employee. However, since I worked at the Sands for 19 years, I feel that I might be slightly more qualified to comment on the subject than Venezia, who worked as a part-time bartender for a few weeks.

It is true that the Sands gave six weeks notice to its employees. What Venezia failed to mention was that all employees were paid for eight weeks, as the law requires. In addition, employees were given additional severance pay based on length of service, which is unprecedented in the history of Las Vegas hotel closings. I personally know of several employees who were given a full year of severance pay, and many who were given six months. All employees were also offered free counseling and job placement services.

Anyone who worked at the Sands for a long time has to admit that the infrastructure was old and tired, and that the only logical way to improve the property was to tear down the old buildings and build a new one. I never met Adelson's father, but I think he would be proud of the way that his son, at considerable personal expense, did everything he could to make the situation easier for his employees.

ALAN PRITCHARD

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