300+ Striking Casino Workers Head to Michigan State Capitol for Support
MEDIA ADVISORY for October 31, 2023
Contact: Meghan Cohorst, [email protected], 239-503-1533
300+ Striking Casino Workers Head to Michigan State Capitol for Support
After launching a citywide casino strike Oct. 17, Detroit’s casino workers call on state leaders to support their fight and all working people in Michigan
What: Striking casino workers will be talking to members of Michigan’s state legislature about the strike and other important legislation impacting all working people in Michigan.
When: Tuesday, October 31. Buses will depart from Detroit at 8:00am. Lobbying will take place at the Michigan State Capitol between 10:00am and 4:00pm.
Who: 300+ striking Detroit casino workers—dealers, cleaning staff, food and beverage workers, valets, engineers and more—who are members of the five unions that comprise the Detroit Casino Council (DCC): UNITE HERE Local 24, United Auto Workers Local 7777, Teamsters Local 1038, Operating Engineers Local 324, and the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters.
Where: Buses leave for Lansing from UNITE HERE Union Hall (300 River Place Dr., Detroit). Lobbying at Michigan State Capitol, 100 N. Capitol Ave, Lansing.
Visuals: Hundreds of striking workers wearing blue union shirts and caps.
Interviews: Members of the DCC worker negotiating committee and union officials are available for interviews. Please contact to coordinate.
Why:
Detroit casino strikers are headed to Lansing to speak to Michigan leaders about their fight for a fair contract and important legislation impacting all working people in Michigan.
On Tuesday, Oct. 17, unionized casino workers at MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity Casino and Hollywood Casino at Greektown launched a wall-to-wall strike affecting 3700 casino workers across a broad range of classifications such as dealers, cleaning staff, food and beverage workers, valets, engineers and more. Workers are on strike to protect their healthcare and win decent raises, fair workloads, and more job security. This is the first casino strike in Detroit history.
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.
Just last week, workers won the backing of Detroit city leaders after the Detroit City Council unanimously passed a resolution in support of the strike.
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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.