A 13-day strike at three Chicago-area Rise adult-use cannabis stores that began April 19 came to an end Tuesday after parent company Green Thumb Industries offered unionized retail workers a significant wage increase, union officials said.
The nearly two-week work stoppage by retail workers, organized with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 777, is believed to be the longest strike at a marijuana retailer in U.S. history.
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As incentive to return to work, Green Thumb offered striking workers wage increases of up to 50%, according to the Teamsters, who vowed to push to make those raises permanent.
About 100 workers at the three dispensaries participated in the work stoppage, according to the union.
Contract negotiations between the company and the union fell apart about two weeks ago.
A spokesperson for Chicago-based Green Thumb, one of the country’s largest multistate operators, did not immediately respond to an MJBizDaily request for comment.
Union officials and Rise workers celebrated what they consider a major victory – and a possible sign of increased labor militancy in the cannabis industry.
Illinois recorded $1.5 billion in cannabis sales in 2022, according to state figures, but workers say economic benefits rarely trickle down to front-line workers, who are often paid wages consistent with low-level retail jobs such as those at Target or Walmart.
“This is just the beginning,” Teamsters Local 777 President Jim Glimco said in a statement.
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