Yet as gaming revenue has grown within the city, union leaders representing casino workers say that wages have failed to keep pace, and have even fallen in the face of inflation.Īs of October 17, for the first time in Detroit casino history, Weaver and some 3,700 workers employed in food and beverage, dealing, housekeeping, valet, and other fields by the city’s three casinos went on strike. Today, the wagering taxes these three casinos pay is the second highest source of revenue for the City of Detroit, according to the Detroit Casino Council, surpassing property taxes. Voters approved the legalization of casino gaming in 1996, in part as an attempt to stabilize the city’s tax revenue. Weaver was among the first class of workers to be hired by one of Detroit’s casinos. The empathy was not there anymore, and the respect started leaving slowly.” “I think everybody felt like the company that we first encountered back in ’99 was a different company.

“I always tell my husband, I was a part of history back then because nobody ever thought that we would even get the casinos, because it had been talked about for many years,” she says.īut as the years went by, Weaver says that camaraderie from the company began to diminish, along with the “cast member” moniker. Eventually, Weaver’s youngest son got a job at the casino as an environmental specialist. Employees at the time were called cast members, a nod to MGM’s history in Hollywood, and she says the vibe in the early days was very much family-oriented. “It was really cool to see all the slot machines and it had that Vegas feel, but it also had a Hollywood feel, because we were dealing with MGM Grand.”Īfter much anticipation, the opening of the casinos - MGM and Motor City Casino opened in 1999, while Greektown Casino (now Hollywood Casino at Greektown) - felt like a new chapter for the city. “I remember when we opened up in ’99 at MGM, the line literally was around the corner, people were excited and waiting to get into doors,” says Weaver.

She had previously been training to work as a dental surgical assistant, but the allure of getting in on the action in a brand new Detroit industry that would allow her to work with the public made applying for a casino job appealing.

Alicia Weaver still remembers the excitement of her first day on the job as a guest room attendant at the MGM Grand Casino.

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