Rise – Teamsters B08A5962 (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Elvert Barnes.
Teamsters Local 777 members at three Rise dispensaries in Illinois ratified their first collective bargaining agreement with multi-state operator Green Thumb Industries, marking the end of the longest Unfair Labor Practice strike at a cannabis retailer in the industry’s short history.
“I could not be prouder of myself and my coworkers for achieving this first, historic collective bargaining agreement,” Reilly Drew, a Rise worker who served on the bargaining committee, said in a press release. “We started as a small but united group of workers. Over the last year and a half, we have grown to be a strong union, changed our workplace for the better, and forged a bright path forward for workers in our industry.”
The contracts include a number of significant benefits for employees at two Rise dispensaries in Joliet, Illinois, and another in Niles, Illinois, such as improved safety standards, wage increases of 18% during the lifetime of the agreement, guaranteed tips and discounts, seniority-based scheduling and protection against unjust termination or discipline.
“Let this be a lesson to cannabis companies all across not just Illinois, but the entire country — Teamsters don’t back down,” Local 777 president Jim Glimco said in a press release. “A lot of people who went through what these men and women went through, they would’ve thrown in the towel. Not this group. They’re young, energetic, tough, smart; they look out for one another, and they embody what being a part of this union is all about.”