Detroit casino workers walked off the job on October 17, after contract negotiations reached a standstill. Almost a month later, some 3,700 casino employees have yet to return, and picketers have asked Detroit City Council to support what they call a striker’s bill of rights.
According to MSN, that bill would allow protestors on the streets to assemble freely, without sidewalk barriers; stay warm by using outdoor heaters and bonfires; and give supporters the “right to be heard,” i.e., letting passersby shout their encouragement or honk their car horns. Council members are expected to vote on the resolution this week.
Union leaders contend that, as casino revenues grow in the city, wages for dealers, housekeepers, food and beverage employees and other workers have remained stagnant and aren’t keeping pace with inflation.
A coalition of five unions—UNITE HERE Local 24, the United Auto Workers, Teamsters Local 1038, Operating Engineers Local 324, and the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters—are fighting to protect healthcare and retirement benefits and ensure that their jobs will be safe from automation. They’re also demanding the largest wage increases in the Detroit industry’s history.
Workers note that they were loyal to their employers during the pandemic, which caused temporary shutdowns and sometimes permanent layoffs, and they want that loyalty repaid now, as the industry rebounds. The city’s three casinos—MGM Grand, Motor City and Greektown—generated $2.27 billion in gross gaming revenue in 2022, according to the Detroit Casino Council, an $813 million increase over 2019. During the same period, the council said, collective wages fell $34 million.
Bartender Ulysses Bryant, who works at Motor City, told MSN he has to work 60 to 70 hours a week to support himself. He also said the casinos are understaffed, operating with about 1,500 vacant positions.
“Imagine being down that amount of people—you’re picking up the workload of two to three people and that’s not easy, especially when you feel like you’re not being compensated,” Bryant said.
Bartender Susan Gallagher told CBS News it’s hard to make a decent living working at Detroit casinos. “When the casinos came to town 24, 25 years ago, they promised jobs, good jobs, plentiful jobs. Well, it’s not that way anymore. It’s time for us to make our money, keep our insurance the same. We’re not asking for a lot, we’re asking for one job to be enough.”
A spokesperson for MGM Grand disputed the council’s revenue numbers, saying the $2.27 billion figure included iGaming and online sports betting revenues, which don’t factor into the negotiations for land-based properties. According to the Michigan Gaming Control Board, brick-and-mortar casinos brought in $1.3 billion in 2022.
As the parties dicker over the math, the council warns that each day the strike continues means operators could forfeit $3.4 million in revenues and the city and state could lose $738,000 in tax revenues.
Meanwhile, as temperatures fall, CBS News reported that the union is also asking for donations of winter clothes, food, diapers, baby formula and other necessities.
Terrell George, vice president of Local 24, who has worked at Motor City in room service for 17 years, told news outlet WXYZ, “We’re going to stick it out. We’re not trying to hurt the city of Detroit, but we understand our worth.”
All three casinos have remained open during the strike, but have warned patrons to expect disruptions in service.
