Who’s Telling the Truth? Unions and Encore Boston Harbor Dispute Pay Claims

The Encore Boston Harbor strike is in its fifth day, with more than 1,300 employees at the luxury casino resort continuing to walk the picket line instead of reporting for work. Union workers at Encore Boston Harbor continue to walk the picket line out front of the Wynn Resorts property on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. The unions and casino are at odds regarding pay increases for 1,300 union employees. (Image: Unite Here Local 26/X) Unite Here Local 26 and Teamsters Local 25 say Wynn Resorts has “refused to bargain in good faith” after their collective bargaining contracts terminated on Aug. 31. Company officials say the unions’ demands are unreasonable, unsustainable, and put jobs at risk. Wynn Resorts claims that the average union worker at Encore Boston Harbor already makes nearly $96,000 a year in wages and benefits. Union representatives tell Casino.org that number “is not a paycheck,” and instead counts tips, which guests pay. Union officials say their members currently see hourly pay ranging from $15 to $32, or $31,200 to $66,560 annually. “Tipped workers are paid a lower hourly rate than that [$15-$32] on the assumption that guests will make up the difference,” a union spokesperson said. Pay Debate Encore Boston Harbor has launched an online website amid the union contract talks defending its position that it’s committed to a fair agreement that is “grounded in financial reality.” Resort officials say union members and benefits have grown 36.8% over the past four years, while the property’s revenue grew only 1.9%. Consumer prices in Boston rose 8.5% during that time period, the Wynn website claims. The gaming market has also changed. Competitors in neighboring states are actively competing for the same customers. Online sports wagering has shifted revenue away from land-based operations. Customers make decisions based on ease of experience and overall value, and they will cross state lines when those conditions are not met,” a statement read. “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,” Wynn said. Unions countered that Wynn isn’t being transparent regarding its pay claims and believes the casino can and should better compensate the men and women who make the business tick. Encore has been telling outlets that the average union-represented worker receives a package worth more than $95,000. That figure is not a paycheck. It counts tips, which guests pay rather than Wynn, even as Wynn pays tipped workers a reduced base rate. It adds the employer’s cost of healthcare and pension contributions. And it averages a few high-volume tipped classifications on the casino floor against everyone else. The typical worker on the picket line is nowhere near it,” a spokesperson for Unite Here Local 26 said. The unions say workers in similar roles in downtown Boston are paid more for the same work. $27M Pay Raise Teamsters and Unite Here want Encore Boston Harbor to agree to raise the starting minimum rate to $25 an hour for all workers, and $10 per hour increases for all union employees over the next four years. With 1,300 union workers, the $10 per hour increases, or $20,800 annually, would increase employee overhead by more than $27 million. Encore Boston Harbor’s 2025 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), a commonly used metric to measure financial performance and profitability, was $236.7 million. The post Who’s Telling the Truth? Unions and Encore Boston Harbor Dispute Pay Claims appeared first on Casino.org.