Day 40: Encore Boston Harbor Strike Continues as Wynn Claims Contract Offer Is Fair

The union strike at Encore Boston Harbor reached its 40th day Wednesday, with roughly 1,300 casino workers continuing to walk picket lines outside Wynn Resorts’ flagship Massachusetts property.

Leaders of Unite Here Local 26 and Teamsters Local 25 say they continue to push for a “fair contract” from the Las Vegas-based casino company. Union members hold various roles at the $2.4 billion luxury resort, including housekeepers, servers, cooks, bartenders, slot attendants and warehouse personnel.

The unions are seeking $10-an-hour wage increases over four years alongside guarantees that existing healthcare and pension benefits will be preserved. Unite Here and Teamsters are also demanding a $25-per-hour minimum starting wage for all union positions.

Calling their position the “Boston Standard”—a reference to prevailing wages in the Massachusetts capital region—union negotiators have refused to back down. Wynn Resorts has held firm as well, with the two sides meeting face-to-face fewer than four times since the strike began on Sept. 4.

Wynn Stands Ground

Officials with Wynn Resorts say union workers at Encore Boston Harbor already make an average of $96,000 in pay and benefits, a figure the unions dispute. Wynn says that by further raising wages, union jobs at the Encore property would be put at risk.

Speaking with Casino.org, a senior Wynn Resorts official rejected union claims that management is resisting the “Boston Standard.” The executive said Encore Boston Harbor offered an “economic bucket” framework, allowing union leadership to determine how to allocate total funds across wages, healthcare, pensions, training, childcare, housing or other benefits.

Wynn is seeking an agreement on the overall funding package while letting union representatives decide “how to slice it,” adding that a “substantive” proposal remains on the table.

The unions have the support of numerous local governments, including the Boston City Council and Everett City Council. But despite the unions asking the public not to cross their picket line, many consumers continue to patronize Encore Boston Harbor.

How badly the strike is impacting Encore Boston Harbor will become known when the Massachusetts Gaming Commission releases its September 2026 casino revenue report next week. In September 2025, Encore Boston Harbor generated gross gaming revenue (GGR) of more than $59.1 million from the property’s slot machines and table games.

Longest Casino Strike

Forty days is a long time for the 1,300 workers at Encore Boston Harbor to be off the job, but the casino strike is nowhere near the longest in US history.

The longest strike involving a casino began in 1991 at the Frontier Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165 struck over the resort’s demands for concessions and refusal to bargain over a new contract.

The strike lasted more than six years, making it one of the longest strikes in US history, not just in the gaming industry. It ended in early 1998 after the property changed hands and the new owner settled with the unions. The strike solidified the Culinary Union’s reputation and influence in Las Vegas.