Teamsters have successfully unionized their 10th marijuana store in Illinois.
Earlier this week, Teamsters Local 777 announced that they’ve won both a new collective bargaining agreement and an election at Zen Leaf in less than one week. Zen Leaf is a subsidiary of the multi-state operator Verano Holdings.
This accomplishment is the fourth Verano store in Illinois to unionize under the Teamsters. The push for unionization has been gaining momentum across the state in recent months, with six other Illinois cannabis stores voting to unionize earlier this year, bringing the total unionized marijuana stores in the state to at least 10.
“Illinois cannabis workers are spreading the word that the Teamsters Union is the best cannabis union out there,” said Jim Glimco, President of Local 777. “Every victory leads to more victories — our momentum is unstoppable.”
On Thursday, cannabis advisors and agents-in-charge at the Zen Leaf dispensary in Rogers Park, Ill., voted overwhelmingly to ratify their first Teamsters contract. Yesterday, workers at the Evanston location voted overwhelmingly to join the union.
The contract for the Rogers Park location includes wage increases of at least 18 percent over the lifetime of the agreement, more paid holidays and time off, employer-funded 401(k) contributions, and protection against unjust terminations. Another significant win was a provision that requires a successor employer to honor the collective bargaining agreement in the event another company takes over the operation.
“Cannabis belongs to the people, people who have paid and those who continue to pay the unfair price for its use and possession,” said Jesse Guice, a Local 777 member from the Rogers Park dispensary. “As the cannabis industry has grown, profits have been prioritized over people far too often. Unionizing is the first step for the people to take cannabis back.”
“Teamsters collective bargaining agreements in the cannabis industry are negotiated with the long-term prosperity of our membership specifically in mind,” said Peter Finn, Teamsters Western Region International Vice President and Food Processing Division Director. “Everything we do is geared toward building middle-class prosperity in this craft.”
Patrick Paddock, a budtender at the Evanston location, said “Cannabis is an emerging industry, and organizing as a union ensures that the people who make the industry thrive are rewarded with fair compensation and a true sense of a meaningful, long-term career. The Teamsters’ commitment to both individual groups and the advancement of labor conditions as a whole makes them a true force in the movement to establish equity in cannabis.”
Founded in 1937, Teamsters Local 777 represents workers in a wide variety of industries throughout the Chicago area.
