Casino workers swarm Detroit City Council amid strike against gaming centers
DETROIT (FOX 2) - A week after employees at Detroit's three casinos went on strike for a better contract, the city council unanimously approved a resolution supporting the picketing workers.
The Detroit City Council President proposed the resolution during Tuesday's session, when striking workers flooded the body's chambers in a push for the city to get behind them.
About 3,700 workers from five different unions began picketing MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity Casino, and Hollywood Casino at Greektown on Oct. 17 after negotiations for a revised contract faltered before the previous one expired.
Outfitted in blue shirts that read "Detroit Solidarity" with the logos of the five unions currently bargaining with the three casinos, hundreds of striking workers made an appearance at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center in the morning.
Hundreds of casino workers flooded the Detroit City Council chambers Tuesday as the body voted on a resolution stating their support for the striking employees.
After the resolutions unanimous passage, the members let out a cheerful reception.
It's the first casino strike in Detroit's history. However, Tuesday's resolution was not the city council's first show of support for striking workers. During an early session in September, the council voted on a resolution that announced support for the UAW's strike.
MORE: Casinos say they'll remain open amid strike with 3,700 union members
While the autoworker union's strike may have larger effects on the country's economy, it's the casino worker's strike that could more directly impact Detroit since the city's budget receives an estimated $450,000 a day in tax revenue.
The workers are asking for wage increases, better healthcare benefits, and a reduction of workload.