Chainkeen Exchange-Detroit casino workers launch strike for better pay and benefits

Thousands of casino workers in Detroit walked off the job Tuesday, calling their first strike since the MGM Grand, MotorCity Casino Hotel and Hollywood Casino at Greektown opened their doors in the city about a quarter of a century ago.

The push for better wages by dealers, valets, housekeepers, and food and beverage workers came after negotiators for the three casinos and unions representing 3,700 workers failed to reach agreement by a noon deadline. The contract had been set to lapse 12 hours earlier, but was extended by half a day as talks continued.

Casino workers had been working under a three-year extension to a five-year contract from 2015, and in 2020 accepted small pay increases due to the pandemic's impact on business, according to the Detroit Casino Council, which represents workers from five unions. But Since 2020, Detroit casino workers have received only 3% raises, while local inflation has risen 20%, the group said. 

"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," Nia Winston, president of Unite Here Local 24, one of the unions representing the striking workers, in a statement emailed by the coalition. 

MGM Grand Detroit and Hollywood Casino at Greektown said they would remain open during the strike; MotorCity did not respond to a request for comment.

"We will continue to offer employees work, and to the extent employees represented by the union choose to participate in the strike, we will take whatever lawful action is necessary to fill shifts and continue to provide our customers with entertainment and service," Matt Buckley, president and chief operating officer of MGM Resorts' Midwest Group, told employees in a letter on Tuesday.

In a statement, Hollywood Casino at Greektown expressed disappointment that what it called its "generous, progressive settlement offers" had been rejected, but said it would continue talks to resolve the labor dispute "as soon as possible," according to CBS News Detroit.

Hollywood Casino's self-parking garages and self-serve beverage stations are open, along with slot machines and table games, although "certain services may be limited," the gambling venue stated on its website. Valet services and the casino's restaurants may not be available, but dining vouchers can be redeemed at nearby eateries, including Dunkin Donuts and Detroit Taco, it added. 

The casino workers' strike comes amid a rash of other major strikes and labor unrest, including a walkout by 34,000 members of teh United Auto Workers at Ford, Motor, General Motors and Stellantis (which owns domestic auto brands Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram). Film and television actors also remain off the job after talks with the entertainment studios broke down last week. 

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