Joliet marijuana workers strike for second day on 4/20

Workers at the two Rise cannabis dispensaries in Joliet were on strike for a second day on Thursday.

The workers are Teamsters members who unionized in July 2022, and are still negotiating a contract with Rise, which is owned by Green Thumb Industries.

The walkout late Wednesday afternoon was prompted by what employee Alonso Carbajal said was an unfair labor practice at the Rise store in Niles, where workers in a similar contract situation were ordered to take off union buttons they wore at work and went on strike.

“We are in solidarity with them,” Carbajal said.

Carbajal was among more than 20 workers picketing during the noon hour with an inflated rat blown up on the sidewalk outside of the cannabis dispensary 2903 Colorado Avenue, which is located in the retail area surrounding the Louis Joliet Mall.

Rise workers also were on strike at the Rock Creek cannabis dispensary located at 1627 Rock Creek Blvd. in the industrial park of the same name.

Both stores were among the first to open with recreational cannabis for sale when it became legal in Illinois in January 2020. The Rock Creek store previously was open as a dispensary for medical cannabis, which was legalized earlier.

Carbajal said the strike also is aimed at pressing for an agreement in contract negotiations, which primarily are stuck on wages and a proposal to create a pension plan.

“We’ve been all but in agreement on everything else,” he said.

The starting hourly wage is now $16.50, and the union wants to raise it to $19.

Workers have a 401k plan, but they want a pension.

Carbajal said the union also wants to increase access to health insurance for employees.

“You can get in for the health insurance if you’re full-time,” he said. “But most of the workers are part-time.”

Employee Heather Hansen-Post said the company works part-time employees at full-time hours until they reach the point where they would be defined by law as full-timers and Rise would be required to pay health insurance.

“They’ll drop you down when it gets close to the point of where they have to get health insurance,” Hansen-Post said.

The strike did not deter.customers from going to the Rise store, but it may have prolonged their wait for cannabis.

About 15 customers stood in a line outside the front of the Colorado Avenue store waiting to get in at about 12:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Carbajal said the company was staffing the dispensary with help from the corporate office.

A staffer working at the store said he could not comment, but provided the email address for a company spokesperson.

The company emailed a statement that did not address specific questions about the strike.

“Green Thumb respects the rights of our employees, including the fundamental right to organize and take protected concerted activity during negotiations,” the statement said. “We made a fair offer to the union and will continue to work toward labor peace. During this time, we have made accommodations to continue our store operations to ensure our patients and customers can access the products they rely on for their well-being.”