JC Reindl, Detroit Free Press
Mon, October 2, 2023
Detroit casino workers have voted to authorize a potential strike, if necessary, for when their labor contracts expire later this month.
The Detroit Casino Council said 99% of voting casino workers at MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity and Hollywood Casino at Greektown were in favor of a potential strike. The voting took place Friday.
Workers' current contracts expire in mid-October, and negotiations with the casinos have been under way since September.
The casino workers' vote comes at a time when more than 25,000 UAW members are on strike in Michigan and other states across the nation, as well as another 1,000-plus UAW members employed with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
The Detroit Casino Council is composed of five unions representing workers at the three casinos: UNITE HERE Local 24, UAW, Teamsters Local 1038, Operating Engineers Local 324, and the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters.
The workers are under a three-year extension to a five-year contract that started in 2015. The casino council said they agreed to minimal wage increases back in 2020 for the three-year extension to help the casinos during the COVID-19 pandemic and shutdowns.
"Following the end of COVID restrictions and the legalization of online gaming, industry gaming revenues have now surpassed pre-pandemic levels to a new record high, but Detroit’s casino workers are getting left behind," the casino council said in a news release.
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