Cannabis unions are on the rise, and RISE dispensaries are a case in point. Dispensary workers at RISE Rock Creek Dispensary in Joliet, Illinois have voted overwhelmingly to join Teamsters Local 777, making them the third RISE location to team up with Local 777 in just four months. Just last month, workers at the Colorado Street location in Joliet voted to join the union.
“We’re making monumental progress in a short period of time because Illinois cannabis workers recognize that we’re the strongest union out there,” Teamsters Food Processing Division Director Peter Finn said in a statement. “To all of the other Rise workers out there – join our movement! you’ll be glad that you did.”
These RISE employees join several other cannabis industry workers who have opted to unionize in recent times, including employees at New Jersey’s The Botanist and Colorado’s Green Dragon.
What’s driving the recent influx of workers voting to unionize? “I support forming a union with the Teamsters because it’s time for these big corporations to treat us like humans,” said Titus L. Lee, Jr., a Patient Care Specialist at RISE Rock Creek. Another Patient Care Specialist at RISE Rock Creek, Dan Hammond, said, “I support forming a union with the Teamsters because cannabis workers are stronger when stand together.”
Teamsters Local 777 represents workers from various industries across the Chicago area. We have a feeling they’ll be welcoming even more cannabis workers soon.
