More than 1,300 employees at Encore Boston Harbor in Everett, Massachusetts, plan to leave their posts Friday at 7 a.m. unless the resort reaches a new labor deal before then.
The deadline follows Monday’s expiration of contracts covering workers represented by UNITE HERE Local 26 and Teamsters Local 25.
Wynn Resorts, which operates the property, has faced a difficult stretch industry-wide. Casinos on the Las Vegas Strip posted steep profit declines throughout 2025, and Wynn’s own profit has trailed 2024 levels, although both revenue and profit ticked upward this quarter.
Encore’s year-over-year figures moved slightly lower over the same period. The resort has also pointed to competition from casinos in nearby states and to online sports betting as factors drawing customers away.
More than 1,000 workers voted in mid-August to authorize the strike, covering roles that include housekeeping, slot attendants, waitstaff, delivery drivers and grounds crews.
Local 26 president Carlos Aramayo said the union’s request for $10 in raises over three years for non-tipped staff and $5 for tipped staff would put pay on par with other unionized hotels in the area. The unions say Encore’s offer runs to less than half that amount.
Job security is also on the table. The prior contract guaranteed a set number of staffed hours for workers, a provision the unions say Encore now wants removed. Workers further allege the company’s proposal would draw health care costs from wage increases rather than fund coverage separately.
In a fact sheet distributed during negotiations, Encore said any new agreement needs to be “grounded in financial reality,” pointing to long-term job protection and economic stability as its negotiating priorities. The document states that short-term proposals disconnected from those conditions would not protect jobs.
Encore’s recent business decisions have drawn scrutiny during the talks. The resort closed Seamark Seafood & Cocktails in March, citing economic challenges, less than two years after the restaurant opened and weeks after its staff voted to unionize.
In 2023, Encore spent $28 million converting restaurant space into a sportsbook, an investment that resort president Jenny Holaday later said would not turn a positive return.
Encore workers previously authorized a strike in 2023 but reached a new contract before the existing one lapsed. This round has followed a different track: after setting Friday’s deadline, union members held picket line rehearsals and trained picket captains outside the resort despite rain earlier in the day.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2026/09/03/126212-encore-boston-harbor-workers-set-friday-strike-deadline
