Three new casinos are friendly with unions

Wednesday, July 28, 1999 | 11:21 a.m.

MGM Grand Inc. of Las Vegas said a majority of its 2,500 Detroit casino workers have chosen to become members of the Detroit Casino Council, a consortium of four unions.

The DCC was selected through a card-authorization process as opposed to an election.

Dan Wade, chief operating officer of MGM Grand Detroit, said the company will immediately recognize the DCC as the employees' collective bargaining agent.

The Detroit Casino Council includes the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union (HERE), which is known in Las Vegas as the Culinary Union.

The other unions are the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, International Union of Operating Engineers and the United Auto Workers.

A second Detroit casino, the MotorCity, said it signed a neutrality agreement with the union council, the Detroit Free Press reported. The agreement means it will not oppose efforts to unionize its 3,000 employees.

And a Greektown Casino official said that property would welcome union representation, the Free Press reported.