Encore Boston Harbor Unions Announce Strike as Wynn Says Workers Already Make $95K

More than 1,000 union workers at Encore Boston Harbor say they’ll walk off the job on Friday, Sept. 4, unless they reach a new contract with the luxury casino resort. Union workers at Encore Boston Harbor will strike on Sept. 4, unless a new contract is reached. Wynn Resorts says union workers are already paid far above comparable workers in Boston. (Image: Shutterstock) The collective bargaining contracts for roughly 1,350 housekeepers, cooks, servers, bartenders, slot attendants, reservationists, and warehouse workers expired on Aug. 31. Unite Here Local 26 and Teamsters Local 25 are seeking hourly pay increases of $10 over four years and guarantees that existing health care and pension benefits will be protected. The unions also want the starting base pay for all members to begin at $25 an hour. We’re prepared for a work stoppage if a deal is not reached,” said Rosa Mendoza, a call center worker and union steward at Teamsters Local 25. “Now is the time for management to give us a fair contract that reflects our hard work. If we go out on strike, we ask Boston families to stand with us and honor the picket line.” “Nobody notices this work until it is not done. What we are asking for is not complicated. Keep the coverage we have. Let me know this job is still here a few years from now if I don’t do anything wrong,” said housekeeper Yamilka Caidor. Wynn Resorts ‘Committed’ to Employees Wynn Resorts spoke to Casino.org this week regarding the labor dispute at Encore Boston Harbor. The Las Vegas-based gaming operator said its goal is to continue offering long-term stable employment on a “fair agreement.” Wynn says a “fair agreement” is one “grounded in financial reality.” Over the past four years, Unite Here and Teamsters wages and benefits at Encore Boston Harbor grew 36.8%. Revenue grew 1.9%. Consumer prices in Boston rose 8.5% over the same period. Our employees’ wages have significantly outpaced inflation. Sustaining that requires an agreement that reflects where the business actually is,” the company said. Wynn said the gaming market has changed since the last labor talks, pointing to competition in neighboring states and online sports betting. “Our focus is on long-term job protection and economic stability. Short-term proposals that ignore these realities do not protect jobs. They put jobs at risk,” the company said. Since opening the $2.6 billion resort in June 2019, Wynn Resorts says it has paid employees more than $1.3 billion in wages and benefits. The company says it has created over 3,300 “good jobs.” Average Encore Boston Harbor Compensation Wynn Resorts discloses that under the current union contracts, the average Unite Here/Teamsters employee at Encore Boston Harbor makes $95,718 in pay and benefits. The casino union workers, Wynn claims, are much better paid than employees in comparable positions across Greater Boston, where average wages and benefits are $80,639. “Encore Boston Harbor has invested in its workforce since day one — competitive wages, strong benefits, and stable careers. We are approaching these negotiations in good faith, with open communication and a genuine desire to reach an agreement that works for everyone,” the company said. The post Encore Boston Harbor Unions Announce Strike as Wynn Says Workers Already Make $95K appeared first on Casino.org.