The Culinary Training Academy (CTA) today is hosting an open house for all former Sahara workers seeking retraining and potential new job placement.

Monday's closure will affect nearly 400 members of the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165.  The casino’s owner, SBE Entertainment, and the unions have worked together closely to help workers financially weather the shutdown and secure new employment.

SBE agreed to provide workers with severance pay based on their years of service.  Even workers who were laid off within the last 12 months are eligible for the pay.  Workers with 20 or more years at the company will receive $5,000.  Workers with 15 to 20 years will receive $3,750.  The amounts go down from there, but even workers with less than a year of service will receive a severance check.