Casino workers in Detroit and Las Vegas recently struck deals with casino operators to raise wages and enhance benefits.
We’ve gathered a group of articles on the news from SHRM Online and other trusted sources.
Detroit Workers Stop Strike
On Dec. 2, the Detroit Casino Council, a group of five unions, voted to ratify a new contract with MGM Grand Detroit, operated by MGM Resorts. The workers ended their 47-day strike.
The Detroit Casino Council reached a tentative agreement on Nov. 17 for a new contract covering 3,700 workers at MGM Grand, MotorCity Casino and Hollywood Casino at Greektown, operated by Penn Entertainment.
The contract with MGM gives casino workers the largest pay increase ever negotiated, does not add to their health care costs, provides workload reductions and other job protections, first-ever technology contract language and retirement increases, the council said.
(Reuters)
Las Vegas Workers Agree to Deal
In Las Vegas, casino workers ratified union contracts on Nov. 22. The agreements will apply to workers at MGM, Caesars Entertainment and Wynn Resorts, bringing increased wages for 40,000 employees and an end to the threat of a labor stoppage against the casino operators.
The total compensation won by the Culinary Union is about $2 billion over the five-year contract, according to Ted Pappageorge, secretary-treasurer at the Culinary Union. The union said it secured the largest wage hikes ever negotiated in their history, which will bring a 10 percent wage increase for every worker in the first year and a total of 32 percent in raises over the life of the new contract.
(Reuters)
Pay Hikes
Nontipped workers at the largest Las Vegas gaming companies will earn over $9 an hour more over the course of the new deals compared to what they make now.
The largest pay bump occurs the first year, with pay retroactively dated to when the current deals expired. For MGM and Caesars, that occurred on June 1 this year. For Wynn Resorts, it was in August. Nontipped workers will receive about a $3 raise per hour and tipped employees about $1.50.
(News 3)
Be Prepared for Strikes
Strikes are ubiquitous these days and employers should be prepared for them with contingency plans. Employers should know, though, that the National Labor Relations Act limits when private employees may strike. Other laws prohibit some public employees, such as federal workers, from striking. Limitations on the right to strike depend on a strike’s purpose, tactics used in the strike and timing.
Big Year for Unions
Union organizing will be a primary goal for big labor in 2024 following the recent deals between the United Auto Workers and Ford, General Motors and Stellantis. The Teamsters are trying to organize nonunion logistics companies and Amazon, while the United Auto Workers union is attempting to unionize Tesla and foreign car manufacturers with factories in the U.S.
Health care workers recently ratified a new deal with Kaiser Permanente after striking over wages and staffing levels at health care facilities. While many employers don’t want unions, the threat of union organizing can help companies take employee concerns more seriously.
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