The strike at MotorCity Casino and Hollywood Casino at Greektown in Detroit has come to an end after around 2,100 workers voted to ratify a contract with their employers. This decision effectively ends the 34-day strike at the two properties. However, the workers at MGM Grand Casino, who have been striking since the same date, have rejected the employer’s proposal and will continue their strike.
The Detroit News reported that the Detroit Casino Council union represents approximately 3,700 workers across these three casinos. Members from each of the properties on strike voted separately on the offer. Workers at MotorCity Casino and Hollywood Casino voted to ratify the five-year contract. These 2,100 workers will receive an instant $3 raise per hour, eventually receiving a total of a $5 raise per hour during the contract’s duration. They will also benefit from workload reductions, technology protections, and no health care cost increases.
The strike began on October 17, 2023, after contract negotiations failed. The council cited heavier workloads due to the pandemic and rising inflation as the reasons for the strike. The workers, including dealers, engineers, cleaning, and catering staff, requested increased wages, job and health care protections, and reduced workloads. The immediate raise represents an average of 18% for the workers and is the largest wage increase ever negotiated in the history of the Detroit casino industry, according to the council.
The union members at Greektown and MGM casinos also guaranteed that workers would be informed of new technology acquisitions by the employer. This would allow for staff training for new jobs created by technology or health care and severance payments for employees made redundant by the introduction of new technology, as reported by The Detroit News.
The agreement has been welcomed by casino management. John Drake, vice president and general manager at Hollywood Casino at Greektown, expressed the casino’s appreciation for the negotiations with the DCC and their eagerness to welcome back the team members as soon as possible. However, Matt Buckley, president and COO of MGM Resorts Midwest Group, referred to the MGM workers’ decision to reject the proposal and continue to strike as a “very disappointing result.” He stated that the casino will continue its operations regardless of the strike.