1,350 Encore Boston Harbor Workers Vote to Authorize Strike as Wynn Resorts Contract Deadline Looms

Roughly 1,350 members of UNITE HERE Local 26 and Teamsters Local 25 voted Thursday night to authorize a strike at Encore Boston Harbor, New England’s only five-star casino resort. The result was announced at a press conference at the Knights of Columbus in Charlestown, setting up a potential walkout at the Everett property as soon as September 1.

The unions’ current labor agreements with Wynn Resorts expire Monday, August 31, and neither side has said a new deal is imminent. Union leaders say they will not announce a strike date in advance if talks fall apart, meaning Encore could face a sudden work stoppage at any point once the contract lapses.

Workers Say Wynn Resorts Can Afford to Pay More

“We’re not asking for anything unreasonable; we’re asking to be respected and fairly compensated for the work we do,” said Sem Avdic, a warehouse worker and Teamsters Local 25 member, in comments following the vote. “That’s why we voted the way we did. Nobody wants to strike. But nobody is going to keep making Wynn rich while our own families fall behind.”

The two unions represent housekeepers, cooks, servers, bartenders, slot attendants, drivers, and warehouse workers at the property. According to figures cited by the unions, Encore Boston Harbor generated $847 million in revenue last year, and negotiators have pointed to that performance as justification for wage increases above the current $25-an-hour minimum, along with stronger pension benefits.

Bargaining has dragged on since spring with what union representatives describe as minimal progress. Workers are also pushing to preserve job-security protections and health care provisions from their previous contract, including guaranteed minimum staffing hours, which they say Encore is now trying to roll back. Union leaders have also accused management of proposing to shift health care costs onto wage increases rather than absorbing them separately.

Encore issued a statement saying it was “disappointed” that workers voted to authorize a strike, adding that it has “put forward a serious proposal, one that is grounded in financial reality,” and that it “cannot sign an agreement that is not financially sustainable, because an unsustainable agreement could put jobs at risk for union and non-union employees alike.”

Strike Fund Backing and Recent Precedent

Teamsters president Sean O’Brien has said the union’s Strike Defense Fund holds roughly $365 million, giving it the financial cushion to support members through an extended walkout if bargaining collapses.

This isn’t the first time Encore workers have taken this step. In June 2023, the same two unions authorized a strike by a 98% margin during a similarly contentious round of bargaining, only for a deal to emerge before the contract deadline hit. That history is part of why a lopsided “yes” vote was widely expected this time as well — it functions as leverage in the final stretch of negotiations rather than a guarantee that a walkout actually happens.

What’s different this time, according to union representatives, is the distance between the two sides. Negotiators have described the two camps as “very, very far apart” on core contract terms, a notably starker characterization than in 2023. If no agreement is reached before the August 31 deadline, a strike at one of the largest casino resorts in New England — and a significant contributor to Massachusetts gaming tax revenue — could disrupt operations at a property that has become one of the region’s most consistent gaming revenue generators just as the industry heads into a busy fall stretch for sports betting in Massachusetts.

What Happens Next

Both sides now have roughly a week and a half to reach new terms before the current contracts expire. If talks break down, the unions have made clear they intend to use the strike authorization as intended — as real leverage, not just a bargaining chip — with a walkout possible at any point after midnight on September 1.