Union workers at a York County medical marijuana dispensary have ended their 45-day strike after ratifying a new contract.
Members of Teamsters Local 776 who work for the Rise dispensary, located in the 2000 block of White Street in West Manchester Township, ratified the new deal on Tuesday.
According to a union statement, the strike was the longest successful work stoppage in the history of the U.S. cannabis industry. Union workers originally went on strike Aug. 25.
The York Dispatch reached out to Green Thumb Industries, the parent company of the Rise Dispensary, for comment about the new deal, but calls were not returned.
International Brotherhood of Teamsters spokesperson Matt McQuaid said the new contract secured annual wage increases for the eight union workers at the dispensary. McQuaid would not disclose how much of a wage increase the workers won with the new contract, stating that terms of the new deal were confidential.
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Previously, union representative Mark Cicak said the York County workers are looking for pay close to what Teamsters members at a Rise Dispensary in Chicago receive, which is $18 an hour.
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McQuaid also said workers secured due process for addressing disciplinary matters, paid holidays, paid leave for bereavement and jury duty and a grievance procedure up to and including arbitration. Seniority will also be considered when work assignments are made, McQuaid said.
The strike by Local 776 members ending in a contract settlement broke a record that was set by GTI Teamsters in Illinois two years ago.
This is the first Teamsters contract the workers will work under.
“The outpouring of support we received from customers, the community, and our union brothers and sisters embodies what solidarity is all about,” John Stambaugh, a patient care specialist, said in a statement. “Rank-and-file Cannabis Teamsters like us are leading the way toward a brighter future.”