Labor Dispute Looms as Rocket Mortgage Classic Prepares to Tee Off at Detroit Golf Club

DETROIT, June 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Teamsters Local 299 called on the Detroit Golf Club to sit down and negotiate a fair contract for the mechanics and groundskeepers that keep the historic course in championship condition. The labor dispute casts a shadow over what would otherwise be a pinnacle moment for the golf course which is hosting the first PGA tournament in the Detroit area since 2009 this week – the Rocket Mortgage Classic by Quicken Loans. 

The seven workers represented by Local 299 have been working under an expired contract for nearly a year. The union bargaining committee, which has asked for a modest 3 percent raise, health care relief and job security language, has received little in the way of cooperation from the Detroit Golf Club management team.  

The union filed an unfair labor practice charge against the course on May 17, 2019 for failure to negotiate in good faith. And on June 14, Detroit Golf Club President Andy Glassberg walked out of negotiations with the union.

"The way the Detroit Golf Club has treated these workers is nothing short of shameful," said Kevin Moore, President of Teamsters Local 299 and General Executive Board member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. "These seven workers have served this course for a combined 170 years, keeping it in pristine condition all while enduring deep pay cuts and health care cost increases. This ends now."

The workers have been subjected to a pay freeze since 2009 and a deep pay cut of $3.50 per hour in 2015. The golf club also restructured health care benefits, increasing employee contributions to nearly $600 per month for a family plan.

"These guys are all team players, they wanted the golf club to succeed and their dedication and work ethic has demonstrated this over the years," Moore said. "But the Detroit Golf Club is now enjoying a period of success and can no longer claim poverty. Membership is growing, revenue is up thanks to a $9,000 assessment to their top 700 members that put $6.3 million in their coffers, and the course is launching a $4.5 million club house renovation project. It's time to take care of the workers that got them to this point."

The Rocket Mortgage Classic, sponsored by a Detroit-based company owned by Dan Gilbert, will have a total purse of $7.3 million and will be nationally televised on CBS. The tournament, which will be held at the course this week from June 27-30, marks the first time a PGA-sanctioned event has been held in Michigan since 2009. Detroit Golf Club has a five-year agreement with Rocket Mortgage to host the tournament.

"These workers deserve a pay raise and respect – we are not being unreasonable in our demands," Moore said. "We want an annual hourly raise of 45 cents per hour, health care relief and job security for the bargaining unit. If the terms of the agreement were right, our members would sign a five-year agreement, which would go a long way toward securing labor peace for the course's future PGA events. Detroit Golf Club president Andy Glassberg seems intent on forcing a 'Showdown in Motown' rather than doing what is right for these workers."

Contact:
Kevin Moore, (313) 550-0664

SOURCE Teamsters Local 299