Detroit casino workers went on strike Tuesday after the union contract expired at all three of the city’s casinos.
About 3,700 union-represented employees at MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity Casino, and Hollywood Casino at Greektown were on strike as of noon on Tuesday, Oct. 17. Their union contract with the casinos were supposed to expire Monday, though that deadline was pushed to noon on Tuesday.
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The casinos represent the third biggest revenue stream for the city of Detroit.
Are the Detroit casinos open during strike?
Following the start of the strike on Tuesday, all three casinos said they intent to remain open, either through non-striking workers or through temporary staffing measures.
Hollywood Casino at Greektown said in a statement: “We are disappointed by the decision of the Detroit Casino Council as we have made generous, progressive settlement offers that position our team members and business for sustainable success. We will remain open for business to serve our customers and are committed to continued good-faith bargaining with the Detroit Casino Council to resolve the issues at hand as soon as possible,”
MotorCity Casino said: “We remain committed to bargaining in good faith and achieving a contract that is fair to our employees and allows our company to remain competitive in our industry,” and added they will “remain open to serve our guests.”
MGM Grand said: ““We intend to continue to operate our business during any potential strike and will remain open this week and beyond. We will continue to offer employees work, and to the extent employees represented by the union choose to participate in the strike, we will take whatever lawful action is necessary to fill shifts and continue providing our customers with entertainment and service.”
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