More than 1,300 workers at Encore Boston Harbor in Everett, Massachusetts, have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike as contract negotiations with Wynn Resorts continue.
The workers are represented by Teamsters Local 25 and UNITE HERE Local 26. A work stoppage could follow if the unions and management fail to reach an agreement before the current contract expires on August 31.
Teamsters Local 25 represents 211 employees across several areas of the resort, including warehouse, horticulture and floral operations. Its membership also includes call center workers, cage cashiers, limo drivers and dispatchers, traffic attendants, valet employees and guest experience attendants.
Tommy Blitsch, Director of the Teamsters Convention, Trade Show, and Casino Division, said workers have played a significant role in Encore’s performance and accused management of failing to make sufficient progress in negotiations.
“The workers at Encore Boston Harbor work hard and make the casino the financial success that it is,” said Blitsch, as reported by International Brotherhood of Teamsters. “Management’s failure to negotiate is leaving this group with no other choice but to head to the picket line. There is only one way this ends, with a fair agreement.”
The strike authorization gives union members the ability to take further action if negotiations do not produce a new contract. The vote itself does not mean that workers will immediately walk off the job.
Workers Seek Wage Improvements
The dispute centers on contract negotiations and workers’ demands for a fair agreement that includes wage improvements.
According to Wynn Resorts’ filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Encore generated $847 million in Boston last year. Teamsters said management has yet to return to negotiations with a proposal that addresses workers’ concerns over wages.
“We’re proud of what we built at Encore, and we take pride in the work we do every day,” said Sem Avdic, a warehouse worker and member of Local 25. “We work hard to make this company successful, and we believe we deserve a fair contract that allows us to provide for our families. Nobody wants to strike. But nobody is going to keep making Wynn rich while our own families fall behind.”
The unions have indicated that workers remain prepared to continue negotiations, while also making clear that a work stoppage remains possible if the contract deadline passes without an agreement.
The current contract expires on August 31. Workers could therefore face a strike if the two sides fail to settle their differences before that date.
Teamsters Call For Wider Boston Support
Thomas G. Mari, President of Local 25, said the union expects strong support if its members eventually establish a picket line.
“This is a union town. Teamsters don’t cross picket lines, and neither does Boston,” said Mari. “If our members are on that sidewalk, we’re asking every worker and every family in this city to stand with them: while they’re out, stay out.”
The vote involves employees across Encore Boston Harbor, with Local 25 covering a range of operational and guest-facing positions. UNITE HERE Local 26 also represents workers at the resort, bringing the total number of employees covered by the strike authorization to more than 1,300.
The situation comes as casino workers elsewhere in the US have also taken steps toward union representation. Earlier this month, workers at Bally’s Black Hawk Casino in Colorado joined Teamsters Local 445, marking the first unionization of casino workers in the state.
For Encore employees, the immediate focus remains on the contract negotiations and the August 31 expiration date. A strike would depend on whether the parties can reach an agreement before workers decide to take further action.