by Scott McClallen
About 3,700 casino workers in Detroit walked out on strike at noon Tuesday after failing to reach a new contract.
The strike affects operations at the MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity Casino and Hollywood Casino at Greektown and workers including dealers, cleaning staff, food and beverage workers, valets, engineers, and more.
Workers represented by the Detroit Casino Council are seeking higher pay and better benefits. DCC said in a statement:
“We sacrificed our raises and our safety during COVID in order to keep the casinos open. We thought we were making a deal: if we tightened our belts when times were hard for the companies during COVID, we would then share in the prosperity when business came back.
There was no deal. We now have to stand up and reset the relationship between us and the companies.”
The DCC wants to keep its health care standards, job security, better retirement benefits, less workload and “the largest wage increases” in the history of the Detroit casinos.
The DCC says workers received a three-year contract extension in Sept. 2020 but since then, Detroit casino workers have received only 3% raises, but inflation in Detroit has risen 20%.
In 2022, the Detroit casino industry generated $2.2 billion in gaming revenue. The three Detroit casinos collectively reported $813 million more in total gaming revenues in 2022 than in 2019, but total wages paid to workers represented by the DCC were $34 million less when comparing those same years, the DCC says.
“Making the decision to strike is never easy, but it’s past time for the workers who keep Detroit’s casinos running to get their fair share,” President of UNITE HERE Local 24 Nia Winston said in a statement. “The city’s big three casino operators are earning more than ever, and we’re prepared to stay out on strike until we get what we deserve.”
A DCC report released Monday claims each day of a strike could put approximately $738,000 in city and state tax revenues and $3.4 million in casino operator revenues at risk. For the city of Detroit, this wagering tax is a critical source of revenue used to fund job creation, public safety, economic development, and youth development programs. In 2022, the wagering tax was the City’s second-highest revenue source, even surpassing property taxes.
“The company is offering us nickels and dimes, and they want us to pay more for healthcare,” President of UAW Local 7777 Terri Sykes said in a statement. “As a two-time breast cancer survivor, I’m fighting to protect our health care. These companies are making more than ever, and it’s time they respect us for all the sacrifices we made to keep the doors open during the pandemic.”
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Scott McClallen is a staff writer covering Michigan and Minnesota for The Center Square. A graduate of Hillsdale College, his work has appeared on Forbes.com and FEE.org. Previously, he worked as a financial analyst at Pepsi. In 2021, he published a book on technology and privacy. He co-hosts the weekly Michigan in Focus podcast.
Photo “Detroit Casino Workers” by UNITE HERE Local 24.
