Arena worker advocates target "harmful" state law
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Little Caesars Arena. Photo: Scott Legato/WireImage
Advocates for local arena workers want better wages and working conditions, but face headwinds from state rules that restrict cities' powers to enact those changes.
Why it matters: Those state-level preemption rules are "harmful" for Detroit workers with low wages, the advocates told the City Council on Tuesday.
- City Council member Gabriela Santiago-Romero agrees and says that removing preemption is among her highest priorities going forward.
The latest: The Industry Standards Board for arena workers presented recommendations to improve the lives of those working in customer service, cleaning, maintenance and other positions at Comerica Park, Little Caesars Arena and Ford Field.
- The City Council can then choose to act based on those recommendations, which come under the standards board ordinance that allows workers to band together and solicit workplace recommendations industry by industry.
The board's recommendations include:
- Increasing safety precautions, including street lighting, better security and de-escalation training for security staff.
- Incentivizing employers to provide transit and child care benefits.
- Recognizing that without Detroit being able to set its own minimum wage or rules on worker conditions, there's little recourse for workers' complaints that their earnings aren't enough.
Zoom in: "Just as I protect the guests that rely on me, I'm hopeful the Industry Standards Board will provide the same sense of protection," Kathryn Barnett, who has been a Little Caesars Arena elevator operator since around 2017, told City Council.
- Barnett suggested improving street lighting and nighttime security, saying she relies on public transit and has safety concerns standing at the bus stop after long shifts.
By the numbers: Nearly a third of surveyed arena workers lived below the poverty line as of 2024, per a Wayne State report meant to inform the standards board.
- Nearly three-quarters received no benefits, and just 12% had paid time off and/or sick leave.
What they're saying: "My biggest ask for us as a council … is that we remove preemption," Santiago-Romero told standards board representatives.
- The city is going to "lose out" on benefitting from its lucrative stadiums unless it is able to act independently in certain ways — like raising the minimum wage and instituting a new tax to raise city revenue from stadium growth.
The other side: The preemption rules in question ensure consistency for employers — that businesses aren't forced to comply with a "patchwork of local employment mandates," per the Michigan Manufacturers Association.
The bottom line: As downtown becomes an entertainment destination and visitors spend more money there, advocates want more of that success to be felt by these venues' workers.