Encore Boston Harbor strike enters fifth week as talks stall

From strike vote to picket line

The Encore Boston Harbor strike started with an August vote, and five weeks later neither side has given ground. On Thursday, August 20, roughly 1,350 members of UNITE HERE Local 26 and Teamsters Local 25 at Wynn Resorts' Everett casino resort voted to authorize a walkout, ahead of a contract that expired Monday, August 31.1 The unions said a strike could start any time after the contract lapsed and that they would not announce a date in advance.12 Teamsters Local 25 reported that 97 percent voted yes. UNITE HERE Local 26 said more than 95 percent of its members supported the authorization.20

A warning first: although this story was filed under "port workers strike," it does not involve dockworkers or shipping. "Harbor" is part of the resort's name, a reference to its spot on the Mystic River waterfront across from downtown Boston.15 The workers on strike are hospitality and support staff: housekeepers, cooks, servers, bartenders, slot attendants, warehouse and horticulture workers, cage cashiers, limo drivers, dispatchers, valets and call-center staff.79 The closest thing to a logistics angle comes from the Teamsters, who represent 211 of these employees.9 Their bigger union in Greater Boston also represents truck drivers and delivery workers, which matters for how much pressure the strike can put on the property.23

At first, much of the coverage treated the vote as a negotiating move rather than a sure path to a walkout. Boston 25 News pointed out that the same unions authorized a strike in 2023 and settled before anyone left work.5 An employment-law roundup noted that an authorization vote only lets union leaders call a strike; it doesn't start one.14 That caution was reasonable, but it turned out to be wrong. More than 1,300 workers walked out at 7 a.m. on Friday, September 4, after the unions said management would not return to the table with meaningful improvements.67

What the two sides want

The unions call their demand the "Boston standard": pay and protections equal to what union hotel workers already earn for the same jobs a few miles away.21 Carlos Aramayo, president of Local 26, said the goal is to match the terms that more than 40 Greater Boston hotels and hospitality employers agreed to in 2024 and early 2025.24 Local 26 executive vice president Laura Moye put the current gap at about three dollars an hour. She asked how workers at a five-star casino could earn less than workers at a Hampton Inn.6

The exact numbers differ by outlet. GBH and CDC Gaming describe the wage demand as $10 an hour over three years for non-tipped workers and $5 for tipped workers.1017 Casino.org reports $10 an hour over four years plus a $25 starting wage.1321 The union says current hourly wages run from $15 to $32.17 Beyond pay, the unions want to keep existing health insurance and pensions and to win job-security language.615 Strikers interviewed by the World Socialist Web Site, a publication with an openly partisan view of the dispute, put job security first. One cook said workers want a contract guarantee that everyone gets their job back.23 GBH reported that Encore disputes the union's claim that it wants to drop a minimum-hours guarantee.12

Wynn's argument is about money. The company says its proposal is "grounded in financial reality" and that a contract it can't afford could put union and non-union jobs at risk.4 It says union wages and benefits rose nearly 40 percent over four years while revenue grew only 2 percent.6 It also says the average Encore housekeeper, server, cook, bartender, slot attendant and warehouse worker receives almost $96,000 a year in pay and benefits.13 The company points to $2.6 billion invested in Everett, $1.1 billion in state tax revenue and $1.3 billion in employee pay since 2019.13

The unions answer with the property's own results. Wynn's SEC filings show Encore Boston Harbor brought in $846.9 million in operating revenue in 2025, $629.3 million of it from the casino.20 Casino.org reports the resort's 2025 EBITDA was $236.7 million, down from $247.1 million in 2024.13 That small decline gives Wynn something to cite, though the property still earns a lot of money. Everett Mayor Robert Van Campen used a much lower figure, telling his city council the resort makes "an $8 million profit" and still can't pay a fair wage.17 Nothing else in the reporting supports that number. Readers should weigh it against the EBITDA figure from company filings.

Disputed accounts of the talks

The sharpest disagreement in the coverage is over whether bargaining is happening at all. The Boston Globe reported that Encore went back to the table on September 26, met several more times the following week, and called those sessions more productive than earlier ones. Aramayo said the two sides were still far apart on wages, health benefits and job security.22 A Local 26 spokesperson told Casino.org on October 6 that there had been only two face-to-face meetings since the walkout began, the latest on September 30. The spokesperson also said Wynn had never offered a trade, a phase-in or any other route to the Boston standard.21 Strikers quoted by the WSWS around the same time said they had heard nothing and that no new session had been scheduled.23

These accounts can be squared. My reading is that the talks have restarted but have not produced a counteroffer that bridges the wage gap. Each side can say it is negotiating while the core issue stays where it was in August. Wynn's public line hasn't changed: it wants a deal that is "fair, financially sustainable and protects jobs for the long term."721

Open for business, with friction

Wynn has kept the resort running around the clock with managers, non-union employees and replacement workers.623 A pastry cook told GBH that some restaurants had closed and that the company was hiring temporary and seasonal staff, especially for beverage service.17 A Teamsters business agent said service had slipped and wait times at the windows had grown.17 Recent guest reviews are mixed. One praised a spotless property; another complained about closed restaurants and valet and drums from the picket line audible through the night.21 Midweek rooms still start at $527 before taxes and fees, which suggests Wynn isn't discounting to bring in guests.21

Whether the strike is costing Encore much money is still unknown. Neither the casino nor the Massachusetts Gaming Commission has released revenue or foot-traffic numbers for the strike period.22 A UNLV hospitality labor professor told the Globe that some customers won't cross a picket line, but not enough to destroy the business. He also noted that drivers pass the pickets without having to face anyone on foot.22 The Globe found patrons who sympathize with the strikers and gamble anyway, plus a member who said Encore had raised her free play by $20 for October.22

Politics and leverage

The unions have built political support fast. Somerville's council passed a solidarity resolution on September 10.18 Everett's council and mayor followed on September 14.1517 On September 16, the Boston City Council unanimously voted to support the strikers and pledged not to dine, meet or stay at the resort until a contract is signed.13 Everett's position stands out. City leaders campaigned to bring Wynn to the city, and Casino.org reads the vote as a widening split between the host community and its biggest taxpayer.15 About 567 Everett residents work at the resort.15

The WSWS argues that these resolutions cost Wynn nothing. Its main criticism is aimed at the unions: pickets pause every 10 to 15 minutes under an arrangement with Everett police so customers can get in and out, and Teamsters drivers have not stopped deliveries.23 That is partisan analysis, but it raises a real question. On the first day of the strike, Local 25 president Thomas G. Mari said, "we shut it down."6 In 2023 the Teamsters went further and promised drivers would not cross the line to deliver liquor and food.3 Five weeks in, the casino is still open.

What comes next

The strike's timing makes it harder for workers to hold out. One banquet worker said he earns 60 percent of his annual income between September and December and estimated he had already lost $15,000 to $20,000.23 A call-center worker told GBH that bills keep coming and people are getting worried.17 Wynn is a global company whose largest operations are in Macau, so it can absorb a long dispute at one property more easily than individual workers can.23

The Encore strike is also part of a wider wave of labor conflict around Boston. Nearly 4,000 Brigham and Women's nurses are heading toward an open-ended strike set for October 14, and Gov. Maura Healey has publicly urged Mass General Brigham to resume talks.24 The two disputes share a basic argument: workers say Boston's cost of living demands higher raises, and employers say pay already beats the market.24 At Encore, which side gives way will likely depend on whether the city council boycotts and consumer pledges actually cut into casino revenue. Until revenue numbers come out, Wynn has little financial reason to move. Unless the Teamsters escalate beyond honking and picket rallies, the most likely result is a longer strike than either side wanted in August.