MotorCity Casino Hotel Strike Continues into Second Week
Last Updated: October 23, 2023, 06:10h.
The strike at Detroit’s three casinos, MotorCity Casino Hotel, MGM Grand Detroit, and Hollywood Casino at Greektown, is entering its second week, with approximately 3,700 workers off the job since their contracts expired. This includes employees such as cleaning staff, engineers, food and beverage servers, table game dealers, and valets.
Despite the ongoing strike, the casinos continue to operate with reduced services and have been welcoming guests. MotorCity Casino Hotel has limited high-limit table games, first-floor slots, and the poker room. Some restaurants, bars, and the valet area are temporarily closed. Hollywood Casino at Greektown has also closed its valet temporarily, and restaurant hours and beverage service may be limited. MGM Grand Detroit’s casino and hotel valet service is closed due to the strike, but the business remains open.
We are making every effort to ensure that our guests are not inconvenienced by this matter. Our gaming operations will remain open 24/7, as well as our hotel.
The Detroit Casino Council (DCC), representing the striking workers, has criticized the management’s offers, including inadequate salary, high workloads, lack of healthcare protection and job security, and insufficient retirement pay. Despite offers from casino officials, the strike will continue until the demands are met.
Terri Sykes, a dealer at MotorCity Casino and president of UAW Local 7777, emphasized the importance of protecting healthcare and expressed the need for respect and fairness from the companies benefiting from the employees’ efforts.
Since September 2020, Detroit casino workers have received a three-year contract extension with a 3% increase in wages. With the casino industry projected to have a record-breaking year in 2023, workers are seeking their fair share of the sector’s success.
Caesars Windsor Offers an Alternative
As some visitors refuse to cross the picket lines, Caesars Windsor Hotel & Casino in Ontario, Canada, is extending an invitation to American gamers. Located just 2.5 miles from Detroit, the Caesars Windsor property hopes to attract casino goers during the strike.
Gordon Orr, CEO of Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island, stated, “The invitation is certainly out there. They know the product is here, and we welcome them to visit our world-class Caesars brand.”
The Detroit Casino Council comprises various unions, including Unite Here Local 24, the UAW, Teamsters Local 1038, Operating Engineers Local 324, and the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters. Alongside the ongoing casino strike, other industries, such as the United Auto Workers in Michigan, are also experiencing labor disputes.
In Las Vegas, the Culinary and Bartenders Union has received a 95% authorization from its members for a potential strike if contract negotiations with casino operators fail to result in a new agreement.