Detroit casino workers vote in favour of strike 

The union could call for strikes in mid-October.

US.- Workers at Detroit’s three land-based casinos have voted in favour of potential strike action over pay and working conditions. The vote allows five unions representing more than 3,500 workers to call a strike if MGM Grand Detroit, Hollywood at Greektown, and MotorCity casinos fail to deliver acceptable new contracts by October 16.

United Auto Workers union has warned that staff members who are responsible for the majority of operations could walk out. It said 99 per cent of workers voted to strike if a new contract agreement isn’t reached.

Contract negotiations began in early September and casino workers are aiming for “wage increases that could make Detroit’s casino jobs family-sustaining jobs once again.”

The Detroit Casino Council is made up of five unions representing casino employees: 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. Now renewal discussions are taking place, 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.

Nia Winston, UNITE HERE Local 24 president, said in a statement Friday: “Workers are fed up in an economy that is broken: Costs keep going up, but when profits came back to the gaming industry, they didn’t go into workers’ pockets. Just like auto workers, Blue Cross Blue Shield staff, UPS workers, writers, and hotel workers, Detroit casino workers are considering all options available to make sure one job in a Detroit casino is enough to raise a family on. We expect the casinos to heed our concerns to avoid a strike.”

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