Detroit Casino Council Ratifies the Deal With Hollywood & MotorCity; The MGM Strike Continues
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On November 19, workers at Hollywood Casino and MotorCity Casino who are members of the Detroit Casino Council cast their votes in favor of a new contract.
The 34-day casino strike in Detroit at both properties ended with the ratification. The MGM Grand Casino union members voted against the proposed agreement and will continue the strike.
The two casinos, Hollywood Casino in Greektown and MotorCity Casino, have reached tentative five-year deals that feature the biggest salary increases in the 23-year history of the Detroit casino market, covering 2800 workers.
According to the DCC, employees will get a raise of $3 per hour upon ratification and $5 per hour in total during the course of the contract.
A total of 3,700 casino employees, including dealers, valets, housekeepers, other cleaning personnel, engineers, and food and beverage workers, went on strike on October 17 at the MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity Casino, and Hollywood Casino in Greektown.
According to DCC, the new deal includes the following:
- A $3/hour hike up front (an average salary increase of 18% in Year One) and a $5/hour raise throughout the course of the contract are the highest wage increases ever negotiated in the history of the Detroit casino industry;
- Maintaining the current level of healthcare without raising employee fees or altering the plan;
- Lowering the workloads in other categories and housekeeping as a consequence of the post-pandemic 1,500 employee cut;
- Employer match for 401k up to $1,000 in the second year;
- Paid Juneteenth holiday.
