CHICAGO — Teamsters Local 777 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.
On August 8, cannabis advisors and agents-in-charge at the Zen Leaf dispensary in Rogers Park, Ill., voted to ratify their first Teamsters contract. The following Tuesday, 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. The contract also includes 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.”
The Evanston location is the fourth Verano dispensary in Illinois to be represented by Local 777.
“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,” said Patrick Paddock, a budtender at the Evanston location.
About Teamsters
Founded in 1937, Teamsters Local 777 represents workers in a wide variety of industries throughout the Chicago area.
