LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Union workers have reached a tentative agreement on Friday for a new contract with MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity Casino and Hollywood Casino at Greektown.
The new contract covers 3,700 employees and includes, according to a release by the Detroit Casino Council, the largest-ever wage increase negotiated in Detroit’s local casino industry. Other terms of the contract include an immediate 18% pay raise on average, no healthcare cost increases for employees, workload reductions and other job protections and retirement increases.
A ratification vote for the contract is slated to be scheduled soon, and until it has been approved by union members the strike at the three Detroit casinos will continue.
The strike began on Oct. 17 and affected nearly 4,000 employees, including dealers, housekeepers, cleaning staff, food staff, valets, engineers and more. The casino employees are represented by various unions, including the United Auto Workers, Teamsters, UNITE HERE, Operating Engineers and the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters.
“Our strike showed the casino industry and the world just what Detroit’s casino workers are made of,” said Tavera McCree, a Valet Cashier at Hollywood Casino at Greektown and member of Teamsters Local 1038. “This is a defining moment for workers in Detroit and nationwide. The gains we have made will change the lives of so many families who are living paycheck to paycheck. I would like to thank everyone who stood strong on the picket line to make this win possible.”
