'We were just losing tons and tons of people to attendance infractions for things like car accidents getting stuck in traffic. And a lot of people had second or even third jobs.'Īnother key issue for workers, she added, was a point system in which employees were fired for being late or missing work. So, you know, locals had to move away - including locals that got a job here - an hour-plus away. 'You know, you've seen rent here skyrocket to prices no one had ever seen before the casino. 'Honestly, the casino made the cost of living higher in Everett,' she said. With the new contract, Wade said, Encore employees' compensation will now be on par with other hotels in the city.Īdditionally, the lower pay made it difficult for employees to afford to live in the area, Wade said. So-called 'back of house' positions like housekeepers were making $25 an hour, compared to $28 an hour at Boston hotels, she said. Wade said it wasn't just Encore's cocktail servers who were being paid less than the industry standard in the city. 'But the other servers in the city were making $14.11. 'Which we did.'Īs a cocktail server, Wade made $8.11 an hour, before tips, she said. 'We did take a two-year contract at the time to make sure that it was kind of a temporary situation that we could get through COVID, and then get the wages in this contract,' Wade said.

'Obviously, we expected in our first contract to negotiate, to be on the same level with everybody else, but it didn't happen because of we were negotiating during the pandemic,' said Ava Wade, who works as a cocktail server at the casino. The casino opened four years ago, and workers said their initial contract, which expired in April, was weaker than other hospitality contracts in the city. Union workers will vote Friday on whether to ratify the agreement. 'We look forward to ratification of our agreement soon.'

'Our achievement of this goal reflects our commitment to ensuring Encore Boston Harbor is one of the region's best places to work,' the statement said. In a written statement, a spokesperson for Encore said the agreement fulfills the company's goal of providing among the highest level of benefits and compensation in the state's hospitality industry.

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