DCC Unions Ratify Agreement with MGM Grand Detroit, Ending 47-Day Strike

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—Saturday, December 2, 2023
Contact: Annemarie Strassel, [email protected], (312-617-0495)

DCC Unions Ratify Agreement with MGM Grand Detroit, Ending 47-Day Strike

DETROIT – Union members with the Detroit Casino Council have voted overwhelmingly to ratify a new contract with MGM Grand Detroit after 47 days on strike. The unions will suspend the strike effective immediately.

The five-year agreement covering 1700 employees includes the largest wage increases ever for MGM Grand Detroit workers (including an immediate 18% pay raise on average), a bonus, no health care cost increases for employees, workload reductions and other job protections, first-ever technology contract language and more. Upon ratification, workers will receive an immediate $3 an hour raise (average 18% wage increase in Year One) and $5 an hour total raises over the life of the contract.

“Since welcoming my son into the world, securing my family’s health care benefits was the most important thing to me,” said Gabriel Robert Hernandez, a valet at MGM Grand Detroit and member of Teamsters Local 1038. “We sacrificed a lot during the pandemic, but we fought for and ultimately won a contract that secures our health care and provides significantly improved wages.”

“Both my son and I have been on strike together, so for me the fight to protect our healthcare and win better wages was always about something bigger for my family and the next generation,” said Alicia Weaver, a guest room attendant for 24 years at MGM Grand Detroit and member of UNITE HERE Local 24. “Together – with the rest of our MGM family who stood with us on that picket line in the rain and frigid temperatures – we made history, and I’m proud of what we accomplished by taking a stand together.”

“I am happy to announce that MGM employees ratified their contract tonight. I am impressed by how all the unions and members worked together to win an excellent contract. I’m looking forward to going back to work,” said Patrick Nichols, a dealer at MGM Grand Detroit and member of UAW Local 7777.

The settlement with MGM Grand Detroit follows outstanding agreements already reached with Hollywood Casino at Greektown and MotorCity Casino, whose unionized employees ratified new contracts on Nov. 19 after 34 days on strike. Casino workers at all three Detroit casino properties launched a wall-to-wall strike on Oct. 17 to protect their healthcare and improve wages that had not kept up with the cost of living.

By striking, MGM Grand Detroit workers have secured the following gains:

  • Winning the largest wage increases ever negotiated in the history of MGM Grand Detroit, including a $3/hr. raise up front (average 18% wage increase in Year One), $5/hr. over the life of the contract
  • Protecting the healthcare standard that Detroit casino unions have built over two decades with NO increased costs to employees or plan changes
  • Reducing workloads in housekeeping and other classifications that have resulted from 1500 fewer workers post-pandemic
  • Securing first-ever technology protections to guarantee advanced notification when new technology is introduced that impacts jobs, require training for new jobs created by technology, and provide health care and severance pay for workers who are laid off because of new technology
  • An option for a bonus up front or the 2nd year of the contract
  • First-ever 401K match option up to $1000
  • Paid Juneteenth Holiday

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The Detroit Casino Council (DCC) is UNITE HERE Local 24, the UAW, Teamsters Local 1038, Operating Engineers Local 324, and the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters. These five unions represent most of the workers at the three casinos in Detroit: Hollywood Casino at Greektown, MGM Grand Detroit, and MotorCity Casino. Our members work in food and beverage, housekeeping, retail outlets, slots and table games, engineering and more. The DCC partner unions are part of International Unions that have experience representing gaming workers and winning great contracts throughout the United States, including in Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

300+ Striking Casino Workers Head to Michigan State Capitol for Support

More than 300 striking Detroit casino workers traveled to Lansing Tuesday to speak with state leaders at Michigan’s State Capitol about the strike and other important legislation impacting all working people in Michigan. Striking workers are appealing to Michigan leaders to join them on the picket line.

Read the release >

Casino Worker Solidarity!

A group of Detroit MGM strikers joined 100’s of union casino workers on the Las Vegas strip as they bargained with MGM.

Detroit City Council Unanimously Passes Resolution Supporting Striking Casino Workers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—October 24, 2023
Contact: Annemarie Strassel at 312-617-0495

Detroit City Council Unanimously Passes Resolution Supporting Striking Casino Workers

The resolution expresses solidarity with striking workers, “recognizes that working people deserve respect, adequate workplace protections, and the right to a living wage.”

Casino workers launched a citywide strike one week ago

Read the full city council resolution >>

DETROIT—The Detroit City Council unanimously passed a resolution on Tuesday morning in support of unionized casino workers at the MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity Casino and Hollywood Casino at Greektown. One week ago, workers launched a wall-to-wall strike affecting 3,700 casino employees across a broad range of classifications including dealers, cleaning staff, food and beverage workers, valets, engineers and more.

Hundreds of members of the five unions who are striking together at Detroit’s three casinos packed Detroit City Council’s big auditorium wearing blue union coalition shirts. Workers from all three casinos presented public testimony, calling on members of the City Council to vote in favor of a resolution supporting Detroit casino workers on strike for a fair contract.

When Detroit’s casinos were first approved in 1998, the casino owners signed agreements with the City of Detroit to ensure good jobs in Detroit’s casino industry. In the time since, Detroit’s casino workers sacrificed raises and shouldered heavier workloads so the industry could recover from the pandemic.

“When the casinos decided to open in Detroit, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity for me. They promoted a fabulous package of making a substantial amount of money, low cost of healthcare, and decent contributions to a 401k: it was what I was looking for,” said Kim Syfax, a 21-year table games dealer at Hollywood Casino at Greektown and chairperson of UAW Local 7777, who spoke in support of the resolution. “As of now, the wages we receive absolutely do not keep up with the rising cost of living. That’s why we’re asking you to support us, and to stand with us.”

“I came today to ask City Council to support our strike as we try to maintain our healthcare,” said Shataya Thompson, a valet cashier at MotorCity Casino and member of Teamsters Local 1038, who also spoke in support of the resolution. “I’m a mother and wife, and I am currently pregnant with my third child. I am considered high risk, and this past weekend I spent three days in the hospital. Maintaining my healthcare is the most important thing for me.”

“I stand before you today to ask you to support us and our strike. We all would like to maintain our healthcare and to have a livable wage. There’s no reason for anybody to be working in these casinos and be homeless,” said Alicia Weaver, a 24-year guest room attendant at MGM Grand Detroit and member of UNITE HERE Local 24, testifying before the members of Detroit’s City Council. “Most importantly, we want you to understand the work that we do every day to help create the revenue that comes into the City of Detroit. I want you to make sure that these companies recognize our work, and that it’s time for them to take care of us.”

In September 2020, workers agreed to a three-year contract extension with minimal wage increases to help the industry recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, Detroit casino workers have received only 3% raises, but inflation in Detroit has risen 20%. In contrast, industry gaming revenues have now surpassed pre-pandemic levels to reach a new record high. In 2022, the Detroit casino industry generated $2.27 billion in gaming revenue and is on track for another record-breaking year in 2023.

After months of negotiations with casino operators failed to produce a fair contract, Detroit Casino workers were forced onto the picket line last week to protect their healthcare and win decent raises, fair workloads, and more job security.

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The Detroit Casino Council (DCC) is UNITE HERE Local 24, UAW Local 7777, Teamsters Local 1038, Operating Engineers Local 324, and the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters. These five unions represent most of the workers at the three casinos in Detroit: Hollywood Casino at Greektown, MGM Grand Detroit, and MotorCity Casino. Our members work in food and beverage, housekeeping, retail outlets, slots and table games, engineering and more. The DCC partner unions are part of International Unions that have experience representing gaming workers and winning great contracts throughout the United States, including in Las Vegas and Atlantic City. For more information visit https://www.detroitcasinocouncil.org.

Casino Workers On Strike

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.

WE HAVE FIVE ISSUES:

  • Protect the healthcare standard we’ve built over two decades.
  • Win job security/technology language that already exists in other casino markets.
  • Improve the value of our retirement where there has been no increase in 8 years.
  • Reduce the workloads that have resulted from 1500 fewer workers post pandemic.
  • Secure the largest wage increases in the history of the Detroit casinos.

Detroit casino workers need a raise AND a job that respects our health, our future and once again allows us to be proud to work at Detroit’s casinos.

Detroit Casino Workers Strike After Casinos Play Hardball on Wages, Healthcare

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—October 17, 2023
Contact: Meghan Cohorst, 239-503-1533, [email protected];
Annemarie Strassel, 312-617-0495, [email protected]

Workers made sacrifices to keep the industry afloat amidst the pandemic, call for their fair share as industry booms

DETROIT—Thousands of union casino workers are on strike today after months of full-table negotiations and meetings by department failed to result in a deal with the city’s three casinos. The workers, represented by the Detroit Casino Council (DCC), are seeking contract improvements after years of pandemic hardship, but casino management remains unwilling to deliver a fair contract for workers.

The union worked all night to prepare revised proposals in the hopes of averting a strike. The companies came back with a final proposal late Tuesday morning that the unions rejected based on five core concerns that the companies’ offer failed to meet, including protecting healthcare, winning job security/technology language that already exists in other casino markets, improving the value of retirement where there has been no increase in eight years, reducing the high workloads that have resulted from 1500 fewer jobs post pandemic, and securing significant wage increases to make up for the ones workers sacrificed during the pandemic.

The strike has a wall-to-wall impact on operations at the MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity Casino, and Hollywood Casino at Greektown, involving 3,700 workers employed in positions throughout the properties including dealers, cleaning staff, food and beverage workers, valets, engineers and more.

“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,” said Nia Winston, President of UNITE HERE Local 24, the union of hospitality workers in Detroit. “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 company is offering us nickels and dimes, and they want us to pay more for healthcare,” says Terri Sykes, a dealer at MotorCity Casino with 24 years of service and President of UAW Local 7777. “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.”

“I’m a mother of two and will welcome my third child by the end of the year. I’m willing to go on strike to fight for what my family and I need,” said Shataya Thompson, a valet cashier at MotorCity Casino and member of Teamsters Local 1038. “We need a fair contract that guarantees good wages that keep up with inflation and also protects our healthcare.”

“There are 1,500 fewer people working in Detroit casinos, but there is the same amount of work to do.  I can’t always take a lunch break or enjoy my hard-earned vacation time,” said Milledge McCaster, a 14-year Lead Engineer at Hollywood Casino at Greektown and member of Operating Engineers Local 324. “During the pandemic, we made sacrifices to help the industry, but now that they are making more money than ever, they’ve forgotten that.”

“We are fighting from Detroit to Vegas, from Biloxi to Pennsylvania ,to raise wages and standards for casino workers,” said Gwen Mills, Secretary-Treasurer of UNITE HERE International Union, the union of North American hospitality workers.  “Hospitality workers overall across the US and Canada kept the doors open during the pandemic, risking their health and forgoing raises.  Now they are striking in Detroit, Los Angeles and Vancouver, along with hundreds of thousands of other workers from other industries, demanding a share in the prosperity that the hospitality industry is currently experiencing.”

Detroit’s casino workers sacrificed raises and shouldered heavier workloads so the industry could recover from the pandemic. In September 2020, workers agreed to a three-year contract extension with minimal wage increases to help the industry get back on its feet. Since then, Detroit casino workers have received only 3% raises, but inflation in Detroit has risen 20%.

In contrast, industry gaming revenues have now surpassed pre-pandemic levels to reach a new record high. In 2022, the Detroit casino industry generated $2.27 billion in gaming revenue and is on track for another record-breaking year in 2023. 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.

According to a report released by the DCC on Monday, 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.

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The Detroit Casino Council (DCC) is UNITE HERE Local 24, the UAW, Teamsters Local 1038, Operating Engineers Local 324, and the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters. These five unions represent most of the workers at the three casinos in Detroit: Hollywood Casino at Greektown, MGM Grand Detroit, and MotorCity Casino. Our members work in food and beverage, housekeeping, retail outlets, slots and table games, engineering and more. The DCC partner unions are part of International Unions that have experience representing gaming workers and winning great contracts throughout the United States, including in Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

Report: Each Day of Strike at Detroit’s Three Casinos Risks $738,000 in Tax Revenues for City and State, and $3.4M in Revenue for Casino Operators

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 16, 2023
Annemarie Strassel, 312-617-0495, [email protected] or
Meghan Cohorst, 239-503-1533, [email protected]

Hours Before Contract Expires, Billion-Dollar Casinos Continue to Play Hardball on Worker Wages and Healthcare

Detroit’s Casino Workers Voted by 99% to Authorize a Strike

DETROIT—Unionized casino workers in Detroit are seeking contract improvements after years of pandemic hardship. However, just hours before contracts are set to expire casino management is unwilling to deliver a fair contract for workers. In a report released today, the Detroit Casino Council (DCC) estimates that, if workers are forced to strike at MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity Casino, and Hollywood Casino at Greektown, it could put at risk approximately $738,000 in city and state tax revenues and $3.4 million in casino operator revenues per day. At-risk revenue includes:

  • $452,000 per day in tax revenue for the City of Detroit;
  • $286,000 per day in tax revenue for the State of Michigan;
  • $1.7 million per day in revenues for MGM Grand Detroit (operated by MGM Resorts International);
  • $1.1 million per day in revenues for MotorCity Casino; and
  • $652,000 per day in revenues for Hollywood Casino at Greektown (operated by PENN Entertainment).

Read the full report at https://unitehere.org/dcc-strike-impact-report/

For the City of Detroit, the 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 DCC has spent more than 160 hours in full-table negotiations and has held dozens of subcommittee meetings by department since the summer with a goal of reaching a deal. Still, workers and management remain far apart on wages, healthcare, retirement security, technology language, a fair workload for housekeepers and more.

“After we helped Detroit’s gaming industry get back on its feet, business is booming, but the people who make the casinos run are still struggling,” said Nia Winston, UNITE HERE Local 24 President. “Our goal is to reach a fair deal, but unfortunately, we’re still far apart. If the companies cannot do better, then we are prepared to strike.”

In 2022, the Detroit casino industry generated $2.27 billion in gaming revenue from in-person and online gaming: the highest revenue ever in Detroit’s history. Revenues were even higher during the first eight months of 2023, putting the casinos on track for another record-breaking year. In 2022, the three Detroit casinos collectively reported $813 million more in total gaming revenues than in 2019, but total wages paid to workers represented by the Detroit Casino Council at the three Detroit casinos in 2022 were $34 million less. Despite the industry’s recovery, there are now approximately 1,500 fewer union casino jobs in Detroit than before the pandemic. Since 2020, Detroit casino workers have received only 3% raises, but inflation in Detroit has risen 20%.

On September 29, workers from all unionized work groups—including food and beverage, housekeeping, retail, slots and table games, engineering and more—at all three Detroit casinos voted in a 99% landslide to authorize the Detroit Casino Council negotiating committee to call a strike.

“I want what’s best for my family,” said Shataya Thompson, a valet cashier at MotorCity Casino and member of Teamsters Local 1038 who is a mother of two with a third child on the way. “We need good wages that keep up with inflation and our healthcare. We’ve been here since the doors reopened and have gone through so much. Now, all we ask is for a fair contract.”

“The company is offering us nickels and dimes, and they want us to pay more for healthcare,” said Terri Sykes, a dealer at Motor City with 24 years of service and President of UAW Local 7777. “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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The Detroit Casino Council (DCC) is UNITE HERE Local 24, UAW, Teamsters Local 1038, Operating Engineers Local 324, and the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters. These five unions represent most of the workers at the three casinos in Detroit: Hollywood Casino at Greektown, MGM Grand Detroit, and MotorCity Casino. Our members work in food and beverage, housekeeping, retail outlets, slots and table games, engineering and more. The DCC partner unions are part of International Unions that have experience representing gaming workers and winning great contracts throughout the United States including Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

The Detroit News: Detroit casino workers prep for possible strike as contract expiration nears

Among the workers calling for increased pay are Jamil Johnson, a 16-year employee at MGM Grand Detroit. The 52-year-old Detroit resident is a server at D.PRIME Steakhouse in the casino.

“We are the workers that made financial sacrifices and extended our contract so that the casinos could weather the storm during COVID,” Johnson said.

Johnson said he was diagnosed with COVID twice while working his job and spent three weeks in the hospital.

“The one thing though that kept me sane was the fact that our union negotiated for us substantial health care so that I would have the ability to take care of my family while being in hospital,” he said. “Unfortunately, the casinos are trying to take that away from us right now. We want economic justice and we want to maintain our current health care.”

Full story found here.

Fox 2 Detroit: Strike looms for Detroit casinos as contract with workers ends Oct. 16

“Our people are doing the jobs of two and three people,” said Nia Winston of Local 24. “And the casinos aren’t doing enough to fill the positions that they still have open because the wages are not competitive.”

That includes Shataya Thompson, who spoke through tears.

“I want what’s best for my family,” she said, saying she was thinking about her family when she was delivering remarks. “When I talk about my kids and my family, I do get emotional. It’s an emotional situation, but with the support of the DCC, and my coworkers, I can fight and keep going.” 

Thompson, a wife and mother of two with a third child on the way works as a Motor City Casino Valet and cashier. She says maintaining health care is a top priority.

“Especially with going through the pandemic. Going through covid and everyday life. It’s people who have been here since the doors open, and have gone through so much, and they depend and they look for that healthcare.”

Full story found here.