Encore Boston Harbor To Furlough 10 Percent Of Workforce

EVERETT, MA – Encore Boston Harbor will furlough approximately 10 percent of its full-time workforce starting June 1, the casino announced Friday. The move comes as part of a series of payroll changes Encore is making while it remains shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Some employees will see a reduction in hours compensated, and the casino also will not schedule any steady extra part-timers, who will only be paid when they return to work, an Encore spokesperson told Patch.

The casino committed to paying its employees from its closure March 15 through the end of May, costing its parent company Wynn Resorts about $220 million. Casinos are included in Phase 3 of Gov. Charlie Baker's reopening plan, meaning the "best-case scenario is that Encore Boston Harbor will reopen during the first half of July," a spokesperson wrote in an email.

"We still have no clear indication of when we can reopen and the conditions under which we will be permitted to operate," she added.

The company said the "vast majority" of its employees will either have reduced hours or be unaffected by the decision. It will examine whether to reinstate impacted full-time employees or steady extra part-time employees based on a number of factors, including customer reception and market demand.