Coronavirus

Encore Boston Harbor Lays Off Hundreds of Workers

The Everett casino said about 385 employees who had previously been furloughed amid the coronavirus pandemic will lose their jobs permanently

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Back open since July, the Encore Boston Harbor casino in Everett, Massachusetts, says it's operating with significantly reduced capacity in all parts of the resort. Now, workers will pay the price.

The casino announced Monday that 385 employees who had previously been furloughed will now lose their jobs permanently.

"It is 300-plus families that now may not have a paycheck come next week or in the near future," said Everett City Councilor Michael McLaughlin. "That will impact their lives and will impact their families."

"As we take a look at our business during these extraordinary conditions, we do not believe that all Encore Boston Harbor jobs will return in 2020," Encore said in a statement.

And that's what led to the job cuts.

Initially, some 3,000 employees were furloughed, but about 2,000 have been brought back.

"Business isn't what they had projected when they gave jobs out," said McLaughlin.

The casino was shut down for months because of the pandemic, which cost the resort tens of millions of dollars.

It reopened with restrictions in place, including temperature checks, social distancing protocols and fewer games to prevent crowding.

The union that represents many of the Encore workers declined to comment because they're currently in negotiations with Encore management for a new contract.

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