Approximately 50 jobs, including 17 middle-management and supervisory positions in Upper Peninsula casinos, will be cut by the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians in early August. The tribe will not release the number of jobs to be lost at each casino, but the layoffs will affect all tribal and casino facilities in the Upper Peninsula and will affect 2% of the Tribe's 2,500 employees.

Employees were notified of the layoffs during the week of July 27, but no firm date for the layoffs had been established at that time, public relations director Michelle Bouschor told the St. Ignace News July 31.

The move is part of an effort to restructure business operations, maintain services, and remedy financial problems, the Tribe reported.

Workers who lose jobs will be eligible for unemployment benefits through the State of Michigan, Mrs. Bouschor said.

Aside from the casino jobs, the rest of the cuts will come from the Tribe's service departments, including government, health, recreation, and contract services, Mrs. Bouschor added.

"People are upset about this. It is never a good time when this happens" she told The St. Ignace News, "particularly in the current economy."

The move is hoped to help the tribe recover financially, she added.

"This is an extremely tough decision to make. It has not been easy," said Tribal Chairman Joe McCoy in a release. "However, due to our financial position and to ensure the longevity of our Tribe and the profitability of our tribal businesses, changes must be made. We have to look to our future and make decisions that will sustain our Tribe and benefit our membership.

"Unfortunately, over the years, millions in tribal reserves has been dwindled down to nothing. According to our financial analysts, if changes are not made, the Tribe will not recover."

"Although it appears to be a very dim situation right now, it is one that we will fix," he added. "We are making adjustments, as hard as they are, so that we can maintain what we have and move the Tribe forward."

The administration plans to assess membership services, consider organizational restructuring, and analyze technology updates that could help the tribe's financial position in the future, he reported.

"We will do our best to preserve tribal services for our membership, however, we are taking a look at how we provide those services, where we provide them, and developing more efficient plans to ensure continuity of the top three tribal membership priorities: health, education, and our elders," Chairman McCoy said.

The announcement of the job cuts was made to staff and administration members by Chairman McCoy, the tribal board of directors, Kristi Little, co-executive director, Victor Matson Jr., chief financial officer and co-executive director of internal services, and Tony Goetz, casino chief operating officer.