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UPDATE: Vegas restaurant removes COVID-19 waiver after pushback

Posted at 9:51 PM, May 11, 2020
and last updated 2020-05-14 03:15:35-04

UPDATE MAY 13: Nacho Daddy, a Las Vegas-area restaurant, said it has removed the release of liability language from its employee documents and replaced it with details on free COVID-19 screening and counseling services.

The eatery came under question earlier this week after reports of employees surfaced of them having to sign release waivers when coming back to work during the pandemic.

A representative for Nacho Daddy said that information was removed, and the restaurant's hiring process remains focused on safety precautions.

ORIGINAL STORY
As a Las Vegas restaurant begins to reopen, there’s controversy over a letter that employees must sign before returning back to work there.

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According to the letter, the employee waives any and all legal rights against Nacho Daddy by coming back to work during the pandemic.

13 Action News spoke with a former employee who said she was fired because she posted a picture of the letter on social media, even though she signed it.

Management at the restaurant says that she violated their social media policy.

“I don’t think anyone would be surprised to see COVID-19-related rehiring paperwork, and what’s frustrating about social [media] you usually don’t get whole story,” says Paul Hymas, Nacho Daddy president.

Hymas says the restaurant is now making improvements to the wording of the letter.

“This morning we already started on the revised version of that,” says Hymas.

Hymas says while the words may change, the need for employees to grasp the seriousness of reopening is paramount.

“We definitely have a responsibility to make sure that all the team members are on the same page and what they need to do to protect themselves and the guests,” says Hymas.

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Employment defense attorney Shannon Pierce says it’s understandable why employers would want to have assurance that their workers understand the risks of coming back to work.

“It also contains something that they will promise that they will follow the rules that Nacho Daddy is putting into place to protect them,” says Pierce. “But then there’s that third component which is the release of all liability, which it's hard to say how that one will hold up.”

Hymas tells 13 Action News that a couple of employees who didn’t sign the original letter will be offered the new revised version.

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