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Everett’s five-star casino resort is bracing for a contract deadline that could bring its gaming floor to a standstill. Contract talks between Encore Boston Harbor and the unions representing about 1,300 of its workers have stalled with the current agreement set to expire Monday night.
Unless Wynn Resorts and the unions reach a deal by the Aug. 31 deadline, employees could walk off the job as early as Tuesday morning. The unions have said they won’t give management advance notice of a walkout.
Union workers overwhelmingly authorize strike
UNITE HERE Local 26 and Teamsters Local 25 represent:
- Housekeepers
- Cooks
- Bartenders
- Slot attendants
- Drivers
- Warehouse staff
Earlier this month, members overwhelmingly authorized a strike: 1,006 workers voted in favor and 53 opposed, according to Boston.com. Teamsters Local 25, which covers 211 employees in areas ranging from valet to cage cashiers, reported similarly lopsided support, at roughly 97%.
It wouldn’t be the first time Encore has faced this scenario. Workers held a similar strike-authorization vote in 2023 but reached a deal before that contract expired. UNITE HERE Local 26 President Carlos Aramayo says this round is different, with the two sides far apart after months of bargaining that began in the spring.
Wage gap between union demands and casino’s offer
At the heart of the dispute is a wage gap. The unions are seeking raises of about $10 an hour over three years for non-tipped employees and $5 an hour for tipped workers, numbers they say would bring Encore in line with other unionized hotels in Greater Boston. Encore’s counteroffer, the unions say, is less than half that.
The casino says its workers are already well compensated, pointing to an average pay-and-benefits package of more than $95,000 a year — above the typical Boston salary. Aramayo argues that framing leaves out the disparity with comparable union hotel jobs, saying bluntly that Wynn’s contract offer falls short of what a standard hotel chain provides its workers.
Encore says the math has changed
Wynn Resorts maintains that labor costs at the property have climbed faster than both revenue and inflation since 2022, leaving little room for a bigger offer. Encore brought in $847 million in revenue last year, still the largest total of any casino in Massachusetts, but that figure has slipped about 1% in each of the past two years, according to Wynn’s securities filings.
Broader industry pressure is compounding the squeeze. New casinos near the New Hampshire border and expanded options in Connecticut and Rhode Island have chipped away at Encore’s regional draw, while the rapid growth of mobile sports betting has pulled bettors away from the casino floor entirely.
Encore spent $28 million converting part of a restaurant into a sports-betting facility in 2023, but traffic never materialized. Encore President Jenny Holaday has since acknowledged the investment likely won’t pay for itself, saying at a 2025 talk at Boston University, “You can’t compete with the couch.”
A further threat looms in online casino gambling, or iGaming, already legal in Connecticut and Rhode Island and expected to reach Maine soon. Massachusetts lawmakers have tabled the issue for now, ordering further study instead of moving forward. If the state eventually legalizes it, both Wynn and the city of Everett stand to lose significant revenue.
Company-wide, Wynn’s profit margins have fallen more than 30% annually since 2024 — though that’s still a stronger showing than the Las Vegas Strip as a whole, where combined net profits fell 81% in fiscal year 2025, per the Nevada Gaming Control Board. Wynn’s most recent quarterly profits and revenue were up year over year companywide, even as Encore’s slipped slightly.
Analysts say timing favors unions in negotiations
Boston College gaming researcher Richard McGowan says the casino’s struggles reflect a simple reality: Gamblers now have more places to spend their money. Even so, he believes Encore’s focus on a higher-end clientele has helped it hold up better than many competitors, saying the company is “doing as well as they can be.”
That resilience, however, may work in the unions’ favor. UMass Amherst labor professor Tom Juravich says a work stoppage is the last thing Wynn wants right now, given the company’s already strained margins — a dynamic he believes gives the unions real leverage heading into the deadline.
No deal yet as contract clock runs out
According to the Boston Globe, Encore and Wynn have publicly expressed confidence a deal will come together, framing their approach around long-term job protection rather than what the company calls an unsustainable short-term pay package. As of Monday, no agreement had been announced.
With the contract lapsing at midnight, the coming hours will determine what happens next: whether Encore Boston Harbor avoids its first major labor disruption since opening in 2019, or becomes the latest casino resort forced to test how long it can operate without its union workforce.
