Are Teamsters Just Warming Up? Nearly 400 Cannabis Workers Joined The Union Since Jan. 1st

Thirty workers at the at Cresco Labs' CRLBF Sunnyside Dispensary in Rockford, Ill., have unanimously voted to join Teamsters Local 777. It is the second dispensary in Illinois to join the Teamsters in less than two weeks.

"Workers in this field are organizing with us because they want contracts that address the issues that matter to them," stated Jim Glimco, Local 777 president. "These include better wages and benefits, seniority, a voice on the job, respect, and so much more. We're going to fight to get these workers a contract that addresses their concerns, and then we're going to take that fight to every remaining non-union dispensary throughout Illinois."

Peter Finn, Teamsters western region vice president and food processing division director, stated: “We're only three weeks into the new year and already we've had nearly 400 cannabis workers join our union. We aren't about to let this become yet another sector of the economy where all the revenue goes to shareholders and the C-Suite. So long as the Teamsters are around, cannabis is going to be an industry where workers have equitable compensation and prosperous, long-term jobs."

Recent Teamster Activity In The Cannabis Industry

• Sunnyside Dispensary in Buffalo Grove, Ill. and more than 300 drivers and warehouse workers at cannabis delivery service Grassdoor joined Teamsters in January.

• In late November, Teamsters Local 777 helped organize an unfair labor practice strike outside Revolution Global’s Enlightened Dispensary in Schaumburg, Illinois.

• The Teamsters unionized workers at Verano's VRNOF Zen Leaf Dispensary in the neighborhood of Pilsen and Ascend Wellness Holdings' AAWH dispensary in Boston in August.

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Photo: Courtesy of Teamsters