Detroit casino workers strike

The Detroit Casino Council has called the first strike in its history.

US.- Workers at Detroit’s three land-based casinos have gone on strike over pay and working conditions. The Detroit Casino Council (DCC) called the first strike in its history after negotiations that began in early September failed to reach an agreement on a new contract. 

Some 99 per cent of workers voted in favour of the action. The vote allowed the five DCC unions representing 3,700 workers to call a strike if MGM Grand Detroit, Hollywood at Greektown, and MotorCity casinos failed to deliver acceptable new contracts by October 16.

The workers are seeking wage increases, workload reductions and improved healthcare and retirement benefits. The Detroit Casino Council comprises UNITE HERE Local 24, UAW, Teamsters Local 1038, Operating Engineers Local 324 and the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters.

They claim that workers were forced to “shoulder heavier workloads” during the Covid-19 pandemic while receiving minimal pay increases under the three-year contract agreed in 2020. Union members want to “win contract gains that would bring Detroit casino jobs back in line with the standard of good jobs” now casino revenues are rising post-pandemic.

The DCC estimates that the strike could risk $3.4m in operator revenue per day, with the greatest impact on MGM Grand Detroit at $1.7m per day. MGM said it will continue to operate during the strike. “We’ve made six proposals to the union and our current offer includes the single largest pay increase in the history of MGM Grand Detroit,” the company said.

See also: Detroit casinos report $104.9m in revenue for August