“You have a coalition of unions and you also have multiple employers,’ says Masters. He points to the complexity of parties at the negotiating table complicates the labor negotiations between the casinos and labor unions.
Marick Masters is the chair of the Department of Finance at Wayne State University, and an expert on organized labor.
Subscribe to Detroit Today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts. So what do these new contracts mean for casino workers and how might the recent labor dispute affect unionized workers in Detroit more broadly? Marick Masters, chair of the department of finance at Wayne State University and organized labor expert, joined Detroit Today on Wednesday to discuss. The five-year contract, which affects 2,100 employees at the two casinos, will include the largest wage increases ever negotiated in the Detroit casino industry’s 23-year history, no health care cost increases for employees, workload reductions, first-ever technology contract language and more.Ĭasino employees at MGM Grand Detroit rejected the proposed contract and remain on strike, holding out for a better deal.
Last week, about 2,800 unionized casino workers with MotorCity Casino and Hollywood Casino at Greektown voted to ratify new contracts, ending a 34-day strike.
