The ongoing worker strike affecting the three brick-and-mortar commercial casinos in Detroit is currently in its second week and it seems quite unlikely for the work stoppage to end anytime soon. Furthermore, casino workers who remained on the picket lines received some morale support at a time when the negotiations were still ongoing.
Earlier this week, during its most recent meeting, the Detroit City Council gave the green light to a resolution that supported the casino workers’ strike. According to experts, it is still unknown how that statement will affect the ongoing negotiations over the discussed contract.
According to The Detroit News, more than 700 union members who participated in the ongoing work stoppage were present at the latest Detroit City Council meeting. At the time, they asked the body to support them. In response, council members sided with them and encouraged them to go on with their demonstrations in an effort to guarantee better working conditions for themselves. Eventually, the Council unanimously a resolution supporting the ongoing casino workers’ strike.
Currently, the three aforementioned casinos are still operational despite the work stoppage. Media reports pointed out that available gaming positions have become limited, i.e. MGM Grand has shut its poker room down. Reduced gaming activity equals lower tax revenue for the city even though the City Council has unanimously sided with the employees’ strike. The resolution between the two parties could mean city leaders believe that local casino operators were the ones to blame in case revenue losses continue.
About 3,700 Casino Workers Hit the Picket Lines in Detroit
As CasinoGamesPro already reported, on October 17th, about 3,700 MGM Grand Casino, Hollywood casino, and Motorcity casino employees effectively walked off their jobs and have been picketing the three casino properties since then, as worker union leaders are still negotiating with casino officials.
The demands of the five unions’ members have been clear since the very beginning. They insist on receiving better compensation and protection measures from job loss because of automation. At the beginning of the strike, a representative for the three casinos shared that the employers had made six contract proposals to labor union leaders.
For the time being, it remains unclear whether any subsequent proposals followed or whether there has been any progress with the negotiations on any of the issues that have been unresolved. In any case, the official position of the Detroit City Council is already clear and the body firmly sides with the workers.
In case the negotiations between the three Detroit casinos and the unionized workers remain unresolved, the casinos might be forced to reduce their offerings further. The recent City Council’s resolution is likely to put even more pressure on casino operators to offer agreeable terms to the unions.
As mentioned above, currently it remains unknown if casinos and workers will reach an agreement and when.
