Commercial Gaming

Labor Day Was Born From Worker Protests. This Year, Encore Boston Harbor Unions Strike

Posted on: September 7, 2026, 02:00h.

Last updated on: September 7, 2026, 02:00h.

Written by

Devin O'Connor Devin O'Connor is a senior reporter for Casino.org, covering politics, casino business, and gaming news. Devin came on board with Casino.org in 2014...
Click for more

Key Points

More than 1,300 Unite Here Local 26 and Teamsters Local 25 workers at Encore Boston Harbor have been on strike since Sept. 4
The unions are seeking $10-per-hour raises over four years, $25 starting wages, and protections for health care and pension benefits
Wynn says union workers already average nearly $96,000 in annual pay and benefits and maintains that the resort is operating normally

The first observance of what is today Labor Day was organized by the Central Labor Union in New York City on Sept. 5, 1882. One hundred and forty-four years later, two labor unions in Boston are protesting their contracts at one of the country’s most prominent casino resorts.

Labor Day Encore Boston Harbor strike — Union members who work at Encore Boston Harbor are pictured on strike on Labor Day on Sept. 7, 2026. Labor Day celebrates the American worker. (Image: Teamsters Local 25)

As Americans celebrate Labor Day with community parades and backyard cookouts, thousands of union workers at Encore Boston Harbor are striking near the property run by Wynn Resorts. More than 1,300 members of Unite Here Local 26 and Teamsters Local 25 who work at Encore Boston Harbor went on strike Sept. 4 after contract negotiations with the luxury resort stalled.

The picket line, occurring outside the casino’s main entrance along Broadway, has been continuous since. The strike carried into Labor Day (Sept. 7), with Teamsters and Unite Here members from across the region invited to join the picket line.

Strike Continues

On Facebook, Teamsters Boston invited its members to “COME ON DOWN” to Encore Boston to join their “sisters and brother Teamsters.” The ongoing strike prompted the Teamsters to cancel its annual Labor Day cookout.

Happy Labor Day from the Encore Boston Harbor strike line where we are fighting for workers that deserve a fair contract,” Teamsters officials wrote.

The around-the-clock picket line includes union members employed in a variety of roles at Encore Boston Harbor, including the front desk, housekeepers, cooks, servers, bartenders, slot attendants, and warehouse operations.

“All day, all night, Encore Boston’s on strike,” Unite Here Local 26 said on Facebook.

The greater Unite Here union celebrated Labor Day with an official statement.

Today, we honor the legacy of the labor movement and the struggles of those who came before us. While there is still so much to fight for, we have so much to celebrate and look forward to,” Unite Here said.

Wynn Resorts told Casino.org that it’s business as usual inside Encore Boston Harbor.

Contract Talks

The collective bargaining contracts for the Teamsters and Unite Here workers at Encore Boston Harbor expired on Aug. 31.

The unions want pay increases of $10 per hour over the next four years and guarantees that current health care and pension benefits will be preserved. Union leaders are also seeking to increase the starting pay of all union jobs to $25 an hour.

Wynn officials say union employees already average almost $96,000 a year in pay and benefits. They say the unions’ demands put jobs at risk because the compensation is unsustainable from the employer’s perspective.

The unions claim that the casino has “refused to bargain in good faith.”