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Detroit, MI

Workers at two of Detroit’s three casinos ratify contract, end strike

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Workers at two of Detroit’s three casinos ratify contract, end strike


Detroit — Roughly 2,800 workers at MotorCity Casino and Hollywood Casino at Greektown have voted to ratify a new contract, ending a 34-day strike at the two properties, while those at MGM Grand Casino rejected the proposal and are continuing to strike.

The workers are members of the Detroit Casino Council, a union that represents 3,700 employees of Detroit’s three casinos. Membership at each casino voted separately on the offer. Those who voted to ratify the five-year contract will receive an immediate $3-an-hour raise and a $5-an-hour total raise over the course of the contract, according to the union.

The ratified contract also comes with workload reductions, technology protections, a 401(k) employer match program, and no health care cost increases.

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Members of the Detroit Casino Council walked off the job Oct. 17 after negotiations to reach new contracts failed. The strike followed heavier workloads during the COVID-19 pandemic and rising inflation, the council said in a news release. The workers, which include dealers; cleaning staff; food and beverage staff; valets; and engineers are sought wage increases, job and health care protections and reduced workloads.

The immediate raise, which represents an average of 18% for workers, is “the largest wage increases ever negotiated in the history of the Detroit casino industry,” a release by the council said.

The contract ratified by union members at Greektown and MGM casinos also includes technology protections that guarantee workers will receive advanced notice when new technology affecting jobs gets introduced. Under the new contract, training for new jobs created by technology is also required, as well as health care and severance pay for employees laid off as a result of new technology.

The Detroit Casino Council is made up of five unions: the UAW, Unite Here Local 24, Teamsters Local 1038, Operating Engineers Local 324 and the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters.

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The council announced that a tentative deal had been struck on Friday.

John Drake, vice president and general manager at Hollywood Casino at Greektown, has said the casinos appreciate “the productive and respectful negotiations with the DCC and are eager to welcome back our team members as soon as possible.”

hmackay@detroitnews.com



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Detroit, MI

Black mold, dead bugs, and spoiled food found at Detroit child care center

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Black mold, dead bugs, and spoiled food found at Detroit child care center


The Martin Luther King Jr. Day Care in Detroit

A child care center in Detroit had its license suspended after spoiled food, no working hot water, noxious smells, dead bugs, and other unpleasant conditions were observed by a consultant from the state’s Child Care Licensing Bureau.

A complaint against Martin Luther King Jr. Day Care was received by the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential in January and an inspection was conducted a week later.

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As of Jan. 29, the facility is not allowed to operate a child care center. 

The backstory:

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Two weeks before having its license suspended, a consultant from the state visited the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Care center on Appoline Street after a complaint was filed on Jan. 16.

A teacher told FOX 2 at the time there was no working heat in the building and parents were pulling their kids from the preschool due to the freezing temperatures.

School officials pushed back, saying the heat had been inspected and was working. The Wayne Regional Education Service Agency, which funds the facility, said they were working to verify if the heat was on. 

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Around the same time, MiLEAP’s child care bureau was notified of unsafe conditions within the center, as well as an “obnoxious smell” from the basement kitchen, no cleaning supplies in the building, rotten food, and spoiled milk being serviced to children.

The child care center is operated by the Antioch Church of God in Christ at 16827 Appoline in Detroit. It first received a license in 1989.

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What they’re saying:

Six days after receiving the complaint, a licensing consultant conducted an onsite inspection of the center, as well as interviews with staff at the program.

The consultant’s Jan. 23 visit uncovered several concerning elements, including:

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  • Missing required postings including emergency preparedness, crisis management plans, and menus
  • Napping area for infants that had not been pre-approved
  • Damaged cribs for toddlers to sleep in
  • Spaces used by children and classrooms with a “strong, cold draft”
  • Expired food and an “unknown liquid substance” in refrigerators, yellow-stained water from a dispenser, and raw chicken served for lunch

In interviews with staff, one told the inspector that children had gotten sick from drinking milk served to them, while another pointed out a towel they had placed in the front of the door to stop a sewage odor from seeping into the classroom.

Children also had to wear winter coats in one classroom due to the cold temperatures inside.

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When the inspector returned to the facility a day later, none of the expired food in the kitchen had been removed.

Black mold and dead bugs were also found in the kitchen.

What’s next:

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The child care bureau found the public health, safety, and welfare of those at the child care center required “emergency action” and a suspension of the facility’s license was needed.

The suspension went into effect Jan. 29 at 6 p.m. and the licensee was responsible for informing parents that they could no longer provide care.

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A hearing before an administrative law judge will take place while the Antioch Church of God in Christ is allowed to appeal the suspension.

DetroitCrime and Public SafetyKids Health and Safety



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Detroit, MI

Macomb County issues public health emergency after sewage pipe breaks

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Macomb County issues public health emergency after sewage pipe breaks


Macomb County issues public health emergency after sewage pipe breaks – CBS Detroit

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The Macomb County Health Department issued a public health advisory after sewage leaked in Washington Township and into the Middle Branch Clinton River.

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Detroit, MI

Detroit man to stand trial for assault on police officer

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Detroit man to stand trial for assault on police officer


A 19-year-old Detroit man accused of dragging a police officer while fleeing on the city’s west side last month has been ordered to stand trial, officials said Tuesday.

The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office said a 36th District Court judge bound over Raymonte Darrell Adams for trial in the county circuit court on Jan. 15. His trial is scheduled to begin on March 17, according to its records.

Adams’ attorney was not immediately available for comment on Wednesday.

Authorities allege Adams was behind the wheel of a car used in a Dec. 10 assault of a Detroit police officer on the city’s northwest side.

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Police said the incident happened at about 11:40 p.m. in the 19300 block of Saint Mary’s Street near Seven Mile and Greenfield roads.

They said officers conducted a traffic stop on Adams’ vehicle and during their meeting, he allegedly drove toward them in an attempt to flee. Officers fired their weapons at the vehicle, striking Adams multiple times. However, the vehicle continued to travel, allegedly striking a police officer and dragging him, according to authorities.

A short time later, investigators found Adams with gunshot wounds lying in the roadway in the 19400 block of Rutherford Street, about two-tenths of a mile from the traffic stop. Medics took him to a hospital, where he was listed in critical condition.

Four days later, the prosecutor’s office charged Adams for his role in the incident with assault with intent to murder, third-degree fleeing and eluding as well as resisting and obstructing a police officer.

If convicted, he faces up to life in prison for the assault with intent to murder charge, up to five years for third-degree fleeing and eluding and up to four years for the resisting a police officer charge.

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Two weeks ago, another Detroit police officer was injured after being dragged by a car fleeing a traffic stop on the city’s east side.

Last May, a Sterling Heights man was indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly dragging a deputy U.S. Marshal who was trying to arrest him.

In March, a man was arrested after dragging Marshals with a car and crashing into a Warren hotel.

cramirez@detroitnews.com

@CharlesERamirez

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