Detroit casino union leader: 'We're calling on these companies to stop gambling on our livelihoods'
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Some Detroit casino workers have endured COVID-19 multiple times. Others are working a second job to make ends meet. One of them is expecting her third child and is concerned about health care losses.
“It’s a hard thing to have to handle but with the commitment and the love from my community and my co-workers it’s easy to get through. That’s why we are standing together to fight for what is right for us,” said Shataya Thompson of Detroit. The expectant mother and Motor City Casino valet cashier for 14 years fought back tears during the Thursday news conference in Detroit.
“Maintaining health care is important to me and what I am fighting for,” Thompson said. One of her children was hospitalized for more than 200 days during the pandemic.
On Sept, 29, Detroit Casino Council (DCC) members voted 99% to authorize a strike if deemed necessary by the worker negotiating committee.
That means that 3,700 workers could be hoisting strike pickets signs outside Detroit’s three casinos — Hollywood Casino at Greektown, MGM Grand Detroit and MotorCity Casino — as early as Tuesday morning if a settlement isn’t reached with management.
“We’ve helped this industry stay open, get back on its feet, and now the industry is booming but the people who make these casinos run are still struggling,” said Nia Winston, UNITE HERE Local 24 president.
Winston said that both sides are “far apart.”
“We’re calling on these companies to stop gambling on our livelihoods,” she said.
The DCC is composed of five unions: UNITE HERE Local 24, the United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 7777, Teamsters Local 1038, Operating Engineers Local 324 and the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters.
“We are prepared to strike, if necessary,” Winston said.
Following COVID-19 shutdowns, “Detroit casino workers sacrificed raises and shouldered heavier workloads so the industry could recover. In the time since the end of pandemic restrictions and the legalization of online gaming, industry revenues have reached a new record high, generating $2.27 billion through in-person and online gaming,” according to a DCC press release. “By contrast, the total wages paid to workers represented by the Detroit Casino Council at the three Detroit casinos in 2022 were $34 million less than in 2019.”
Negotiations on new agreements began in September. Workers are seeking wage increases, strengthened retirement benefits, protections against the implementation of new technology, and other gains to improve jobs in Detroit’s casino industry.
Striking workers would include a broad range of classifications such as dealers, cleaning staff, food and beverage workers, valets, engineers and others.
“We continue to negotiate with the DCC on a new contract that demonstrates our commitment to our employees here in Detroit,” Dara Cohen, MGM Resorts International spokesperson, told the Advance on Thursday. “We believe that all parties are dedicated to reaching an agreement that works for everyone.”
