Coyotes furlough 50 percent of team personnel
The Arizona Coyotes reduced their staff by half Friday, attributing the move to the disruption of the NHL schedule caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The staff moves officially are considered a furlough that will last at least until June 30. The team will still provide 100 percent of medical coverage to all employees, even those furloughed Friday.
The Coyotes already had committed to paying all full-time and part-time workers at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz., through April 15. The team also is paying all employees of the Tucson Roadrunners minor league team into next week.
"The developing COVID-19 situation is having a huge impact on our community and, like many companies, we are working through the challenges during this unprecedented time," Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo said in a press release. "This was an extremely difficult decision for me and my family. We never anticipated that the situation would escalate to the point of shutting down some of our businesses.
"It doesn't appear that the NHL will resume play in the immediate future, so this decision was necessary. We all remain hopeful that hockey will be back soon and look forward to welcoming back our team members at that time."
--Field Level Media
