More than 1,300 workers at Encore Boston Harbor have now spent 40 days on strike, according to Casino.org's latest report, as Unite Here Local 26 and Teamsters Local 25 pursue higher wages and benefit protections while Wynn Resorts says its offer is fair. The two sides have met only a handful of times since the walkout began on September 4. A September revenue report from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission due in the coming week may begin to show the dispute's financial effect.
Wage and benefit demands
The unions represent roughly 1,300 employees across hotel, food-and-beverage, gaming, transportation and support roles. Reported positions include housekeepers, cooks, bartenders, slot attendants, cage cashiers, drivers, valet attendants, groundskeepers, warehouse staff and guest-experience workers. Bargaining began around April, and on August 20 union members approved a strike authorization with support reported at 97%, according to Yardbarker; the walkout started at 7 a.m. on September 4 after contracts expired August 31.
The core ask is compensation. Union negotiators want hourly raises of $10 spread over four years, a floor of $25 an hour for every union position, and the preservation of current healthcare and pension plans. They call this the Boston Standard, arguing that Encore pay should match conditions at other unionized hotels in the area. Earlier union accounts cited separate three-year proposals of $10 an hour for non-tipped workers and $5 an hour for tipped workers, with hourly pay of $15 to $32, and Teamsters Local 25 representing 211 of the workers, according to Yogonet.
Wynn's response and compensation average
Wynn disputes the union wage presentation. Company officials say union employees at the Everett resort already average about $96,000 in pay and benefits annually, a number the labor groups reject. A senior Wynn executive told Casino.org that the company has placed a substantive proposal on the table built around an economic bucket: management wants to agree on the overall funding, and union leadership would then decide how to divide that amount among categories such as wages, medical coverage, retirement, training, childcare or housing.
A Wynn spokesperson separately said the company is working toward a sustainable contract that recognizes employee contributions while protecting the resort's jobs and broader economic benefits for Massachusetts. Wynn has also warned that further wage increases could put union positions at risk.
Negotiations have barely restarted
Public statements aside, actual bargaining has been rare. A spokesperson for Unite Here Local 26 told Casino.org on October 6 that negotiators had met with Wynn management only twice since the strike began, with the most recent session on September 30. By October 14, Casino.org put the count at fewer than four meetings since September 4.
Union leaders described the company as unwilling to offer a trade, phase-in or new condition that would move workers toward an agreement. There has been no reported settlement, and the two sets of demands remain far apart.
Guest experience, pricing and revenue impact
Wynn says most resort operations are running normally with management and non-union staff. Online guest reviews show a split: one visitor said the property was still immaculate and had top-notch service despite the strike, while another wrote that it was not worth visiting because restaurants and valet were closed and drums from the picket line could be heard all night. Midweek room rates were listed at $527 before taxes and resort fees as of mid-October, according to Casino.org.
The strike's financial effect is not yet clear. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission's September 2026 casino revenue release is expected next week. In September 2025, Encore Boston Harbor's slot and table game revenue was more than $59.1 million, providing a baseline for comparison.
Political support and longest casino strike
The workers have received resolutions of support from the Boston City Council and the Everett City Council. Union leaders have asked the public not to book rooms, play table games or cross picket lines, though some people continue to visit the resort.
At 40 days, the walkout is significant but not close to the longest casino strike in U.S. history. That milestone belongs to the Frontier Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, where a strike that began in 1991 lasted more than six years and ended in early 1998 after the property changed ownership and the new owner reached a settlement.
