MGM Grand Detroit Workers Finally End Strike

Posted on: December 4, 2023, 06:15h. 

Last updated on: December 9, 2023, 02:47h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

Hospitality workers at MGM Grand Detroit approved a new contract this past weekend and brought their 47-day strike to a halt.

MGM Grand Detroit
MGM Grand Detroit, pictured above. Hospitality workers at the property agreed to a new contract and ended their strike. (Image: TripAdvisor)

The unionized employees voted for the new deal on Saturday, calling for an immediate end to their work stoppage.

The new contract covers some 1,700 Detroit Casino Council (DCC) union employees. When negotiations began, the DCC promised to get workers historic salary increases.

The new deal will give the workers an average 18% salary boost during its first year, according to the DCC. Workers will get an immediate $3 an hour raise and $5 an hour total raises over the five-year contract.

There are also reductions in workload, no increases in health care, as well as job protections from automation and other technological advances.

“We sacrificed a lot during the pandemic, but we fought for and ultimately won a contract that secures our health care and provides significantly improved wages,” Gabriel Robert Hernandez, a valet at MGM Grand Detroit, said in a union statement.

The agreement covers casino dealers, cleaning staff, engineers, food and beverage workers, and valets.

Workers at the MGM property had rejected a prior tentative contract. It’s unclear what terms changed between the two contracts. Some workers reportedly had complained they didn’t want to be rushed into deciding on a labor agreement.

Victory for Union

The MGM Grand workers are the city’s last group of unionized casino workers to settle with management. About two weeks ago, some 2,100 unionized hospitality workers at Detroit’s MotorCity Casino and Hollywood Casino at Greektown concluded their 34-day strike when they approved a new contract.

Workers at the three properties received the largest wage increases ever negotiated in the history of Detroit casinos, according to the DCC.

Alicia Weaver, a guest room attendant at MGM Grand Detroit, added in the statement, “we made history, and I’m proud of what we accomplished by taking a stand together.”

Management is also pleased the strike ended, and their workers agreed to the contract.

We’re glad our DCC-represented employees voted tonight to ratify the 64-month contract and end the strike, allowing us to immediately resume full and normal operations at MGM Grand Detroit,” Matt Buckley, president and COO of Midwest Group, MGM Resorts International, said in a statement.

The strike began on October 17 at the three casinos. The work stoppage resulted in service cutbacks and revenue declines.

The DCC includes Unite Here Local 24, UAW Local 7777, Teamsters Local 1038, Operating Engineers Local 324, and the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters.

Las Vegas Union Negotiations

Unions representing hospitality workers in Las Vegas averted a strike last month at gaming properties owned by three large casino companies: Caesars Entertainment, MGM Resorts, and Wynn Resorts.

Other Las Vegas casinos still need to reach agreements with their unionized workers in the coming months. They are represented by the Culinary Union.