DETROIT (WWJ) -- Union workers walked off the job at Detroit’s three casinos on Tuesday, launching a strike after months of failed negotiations for a new labor contract.
Dealers, cleaning staff, food and beverage workers, valets, engineers and others who work for MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity Casino and Hollywood Casino at Greektown began picketing at noon after talks ended without a deal, early in the morning.
It's the first walkout in the history of the Detroit casinos, since then first opened in the late 1990s and 2000.
According to Detroit Casino Council (DCC), which encompasses five unions, thousands of workers are seeking contract improvements after years of pandemic hardship. Workers, the DCC said, are asking for wages that keep up with inflation, as well as healthcare, retirement security, technology language, fair workloads for housekeepers, and more — but casino management "has been unwilling to deliver a fair contract for workers."
Talking to picketing workers, WWJ's Jon Hewett said another major sticking point is job load, including mandatory overtime.
Shataya Thompson, a valet cashier and member of the bargaining team for Teamsters Local 1030, said they're extremely short-staffed at Motor City.
"During the pandemic, we lost a lot of people; job-wise just, you know, deaths and things like that," she told Hewett. "We came back with not even the same amount of people we left out with."
"We lost jobs, and the pandemic changed everything... Not just here, it was everywhere; it changed everything," Thompson said. "So, now we're feeling the effects and trying to catch up."
She said they didn't want to strike, but had no other option after talks broke down.
The DCC said casino management is "playing hardball" on issues including healthcare and wages, and the two sides remained far apart on multiple issues when the contract expired at midnight Monday. "The entire union negotiating committee worked through the night to craft a counter proposal and has been waiting over six hours to receive a company response. With no movement made on the company’s side, a strike is still on the horizon," the DCC said Tuesday morning.
As of Tuesday afternoon, all three Detroit casinos remained at least partially open, with management taking on some additional responsibilities. "So, fewer tables, but there is gaming and there are customers coming and going," Hewett reported.
Some patrons left when the picketing began, but others — including "Mrs. Thomas" — decided to stay and play.
"I'm 70 years old. I like to get out of the house and get some fresh air," she said, adding that she does sympathize with striking workers. "I feel bad for them. They work hard for their money. Give them a raise and give them medical; we need that medical."
According to a report released by the DCC, 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.
On Monday, a spokesperson for MGM Resorts International said the company remains dedicated to reaching a deal that works for everyone, while Hollywood Casino said it is committed to working together with the unions to come up with a “mutually beneficial agreement.”
It's unclear at this time when talks will resume.