Unionized service workers at Encore Boston Harbor approved a strike Wednesday after more than 13 hours of voting and set a June 30 deadline for a deal to come together on a new contract.
Nearly 1,000 workers covered by UNITE HERE Local 26 and Teamsters Local 25 casted ballots in Charlestown and nearly all voted in favor of a labor strike scheduled to begin next week, pending any resolution with management at the Everett casino.
“Going on strike is not easy for anyone, but the workers have spoken and they are united,” UNITE HERE Local 26 President Carolos Aramayo said in a statement. “They want a better future for themselves, for their families, and for each other. They are not asking for anything outrageous; they simply want Encore Boston Harbor to be the best place to work in Everett. They are ready to do what it takes to win that five-star contract.”
The unions’ first contract expired in April, and the two sides have been at the negotiating table since the spring, Aramayo previously told the Herald. The unions have threatened to man a picket line “24 hours a day, seven days a week” if workers go on strike next week.
The two unions cover more than 1,400 employees at Encore Boston Harbor — from room attendants to cocktail servers and bar porters to cooks. The casino is owned by Las Vegas-based Wynn Resorts, which has hotels in Sin City and Macau.
Wynn Resorts spokesperson Michael Weaver said the casino has been negotiating in “good faith” with the unions with the “goal of providing our employees with competitive wages, benefits, and a working environment that reflects our high standards and the experience we strive to create.”
“While we are disappointed that the union is instead moving to hold a strike vote, we have indicated to the union that we remain ready to continue our discussions,” Weaver said in a statement on Wednesday.
An Encore spokesperson did not offer further comment Thursday morning.
UNITE HERE Local 26 has organized previous strikes outside Marriott hotels in 2018 and the Battery Wharf Hotel in 2019. A June 2022 strike at Bally’s Twin River Casino in Rhode Island was averted after an agreement was reached between the union and management.