More than 90% of workers at Rise Dispensary in Niles, Illinois, voted to unionize with the Teamsters Local 777, joining a growing list of marijuana employees in the state to do so.
The store is the first Green Thumb Industries property to affiliate with the Teamsters, according to a news release.
The Rise Dispensary joins several other Illinois marijuana businesses that have signed on with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, including three companies that joined in February.
“We are 100% committed to making sure these workers get the wages, benefits and job protections associated with a Teamster contract,” said Jim Glimco, president of Local 777.
“We’re going to turn cannabis into a field with attractive, sustainable careers for everyone in the industry.”
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Teamsters Local 777 has been unionizing Illinois marijuana workers at a steady clip since early 2021, having also signed up marijuana employees in Arlington Heights, Chicago and Romeoville.
The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 881 also has made inroads in Illinois, with cannabis workers in Champaign, Springfield, Mokena and Worth having joined the UFCW.
