Detroit’s casino workers are currently on strike after union contracts expired at all three of the city’s gambling facilities.
Walkouts in Motor City began Tuesday at noon, carried out by some 3,700 casino workers across five unions.
The Detroit Casino Council, the body that represents the procession, has been seeking better wages and benefits – a common theme in the US as of late as the cost of living continues to sky-rocket.
Strikes, as a result, have been widespread – with nearly 34,000 autoworkers also striking in the city, and more than 160,000 Hollywood actors still seeking higher wages and better job security.
Two large-scale strikes, meanwhile, ended in the past month – with Tinsel Town’s screenwriters and Oakland-based Kaiser Permanente coming to resolutions in their quests for higher wages. The two strikes in Detroit, though, remain ongoing.
Detroit’s casino workers are currently on strike after union contracts expired at all three of the city’s gambling facilities
Walkouts in Motor City began Tuesday at noon, carried out by some 3,700 casino workers across five unions
Detroit Casino workers walked off the floor earlier today— they’re striking for higher wages and health insurance. pic.twitter.com/AJ8sMWnCd5
— Sam Robinson (@samueljrob) October 17, 2023
Nia Winston, president of Unite Here Local 24, explained Tuesday that dealers, cleaning staff, and valets chose to join the picket line after they and MGM, Hollywood Casino, and MotorCity Casino failed to come to an agreement.
‘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,’ the casino union boss, one of five presiding over the now-ongoing strikes, said.
‘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.’
The strike, while not the first from fed-up casino workers in recent years, is the first at the Detroit casinos – which opened its doors to Great Lakes gamblers back in the late 1990s and 2000.
At the time, pre-recession, the American economy was booming – and unionized protests appeared to be close to becoming a thing of the past.
Back in the 1980s, more than a million workers would regularly go on strike annually, Bureau of Labor Statistics shows – but in the decades since, such numbers have waned spectacularly.
That stayed the case more or less just before the pandemic, when North Carolina public school teachers marched on the Capitol in 2019 to demand better funding for public schools.
They were joined by 46,000 unionized workers from General Motors, in a strike that served as the largest strike of the year in terms of work days lost, lasting 29 days in September and October of that year.
The year also saw the most strikes involving 20,000 or more workers than any since 1993, and resulted in a cumulative loss of more than a million days of labor and a $600 million for GM, which remains to this day headquartered in Motor City.
The three largest strikes of the decade, however, were held by the teachers – first in North Carolina and then in Arizona.
Nia Winston, President of Unite Here Local 24, explained Tuesday dealers’, cleaning staff’s, and valets’ choice to join the picket line after they and MGM, Hollywood Casino, and MotorCity Casino failed to come to an agreement
‘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,’ the casino games union boss, one of five presiding over the now-ongoing strikes, said
‘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’
The strike, while not the first from fed-up casino workers in recent years, is the first at the Detroit online casinos – which opened its doors to Great Lakes gamblers back in the late 1990s and 2000
The strikes seen Tuesday saw thousands of dealers, cleaning staff, and valets leave their respective places of work as the clock struck noon in the Downtown section of the city
The unions represent most workers in the city’s trio of casinos, including those on the gaming floor, serving food and drink, and several working in the casinos’ attached hotels
At the time, about 485,200 workers were involved in major work stoppages – a marker that was only eclipsed by strikes seen in 1986.
The fervor saw teachers’ salaries increased by some $6,000 – sparking a movement that immediately dissipated upon the outset of COVID-19.
In the years since, inflation and a historic hike in interest rates have hit Americans hard – seemingly reigniting that desire for increased compensation.
Strikes by the Writer’s Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Radio and Television Artists soon followed, as thousands expressed solidarity with the shift.
The writer’s strike has since been resolved, with more than 11,500 striking TV and film writers now back at work after receiving a raise of between 3.5 percent and 5 percent.
The actor’s strike – which was more about giving more stopping power to screenwriters and protection from AI than securing better pay – remains ongoing, after actors and major studios suspended contract talks on Friday.
Less than two weeks before the writer’s qualms were addressed – which came after a 148-day-long walkout – nearly 34,000 UAW members joined the fray, seeking to receive a 46 percent wage increase while citing their employers’ profits.
The strike began on Sept. 15 with 13,000 workers, and is still in full effect as a compromise.
The strikes seen Tuesday served as more of the same, with thousands of casino staff seen leaving their respective places of work as the clock struck noon in the Downtown section of the city.
As a result, as their contract was set to expire Tuesday, concerns arose whether the facilities would remain open for business in the event of a strike – disquiet that was quickly quelled by all three of the casinos top execs
Brass for MotorCity Casino – one of the three in the city – said they will stay open through the strike, adding: ‘We remain committed to bargaining in good faith and achieving a contract that is fair to our employees and allows our company to remain competitive in our industry’
Meanwhile, 34,000 autoworkers are also striking in the city, also in hopes of obtaining better wages and healthcare
Terri Sykes, a dealer at MotorCity Casino with 24 years of service, told the Detroit Free Press at the picket line how she is participating in both strikes – due to her being both a MotorCity staffer and President of UAW Local 7777.
Terri Sykes, a dealer at MotorCity Casino with 24 years of service, told the Detroit Free Press at the picket line how she is participating in both strikes – due to her being both a MotorCity staffer and President of UAW Local 7777.
‘The company is offering us nickels and dimes, and they want us to pay more for healthcare,’ she said in regard to the desires of the casino workers, which come after a three-year extension to a five-year contract penned in 2015, agreed in 2020 to help casinos amid the COVID-19 pandemic, expired.
‘As a two-time breast cancer survivor, I’m fighting to protect our health care,’ she explained of one of the unions wants.
‘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.’
Motor City Casino employee Ulyssis Bryant similarly told WXYZ Detroit: ‘Taking on the jobs of two to three people is a lot.
‘That’s what we’ve been dealing with for years now.’
The unions represent most workers in the city’s trio of online casinos, including those on the gaming floor, serving food and drink, and several working in the casinos’ attached hotels.
As a result, as their contract was set to expire Tuesday, concerns arose whether the facilities would remain open for business in the event of a strike – disquiet that was quickly quelled by all three of the casinos top execs.
The city, meanwhile, is set to lose $452,000 per day that the casinos stay closed. Casinos will also lose millions
MGM Grand Detroit President and COO Matt Buckley said in a statement Tuesday morning: ‘We intend to continue to operate our business during any potential strike and will remain open this week and beyond.
‘We will take whatever lawful action is necessary to fill shifts and continue providing our customers with entertainment and service,’ he vowed.
Brass for MotorCity Casino similarly said: ‘We remain committed to bargaining in good faith and achieving a contract that is fair to our employees and allows our company to remain competitive in our industry.’
The statement confirmed the casino games will ‘remain open to serve our guests.’
Hollywood Casino at Greektown also said that the casino plans to stay open for the usual 24/7 for slots and table games, but specified that some services, such as its on-site valet, would be temporarily nixed.
Now in full swing, the strike is being carried out by UNITE HERE Local 24, UAW, Teamsters Local 1038, Operating Engineers Local 324, and the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters – with the three casinos now poised to lose millions of dollars.
The city, however, will likely lose the most money – $452,000 per day, experts estimate – while the state has a daily $286,000 at risk, Fox2Detroit reported.
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