Pennsylvania dispensary workers for one of the largest cannabis companies in the U.S. formed a picket line and went on strike Sept. 1—Labor Day—after claiming their employer refused to bargain in good faith.
Represented by Teamsters Local Union 776, the RISE dispensary workers in York, Pa., are employed by Green Thumb Industries, a vertically integrated multistate operator that has the second largest market cap among publicly traded cannabis companies worldwide. Green Thumb reported $1.1 billion in 2024 revenue and a net income of $73.1 million. The company operates 108 stores across 14 state markets with roughly 4,800 workers.
The RISE dispensary strike in York unfolded after Local 776 and legal representative Jason Weinstock filed bad-faith bargaining allegations against Green Thumb on Aug. 28 with the National Labor Relations Board.
“As we celebrate this Labor Day, our brothers and sisters at RISE Dispensary will not be joining in the celebration,” according to Teamsters Local 776. “They have been forced to strike by the employer for their bad faith tactics at the bargaining table. The company has refused to offer our members a living wage, all while generating record revenues of $1.1 billion in 2024. The company's CEO [Ben Kovler] was awarded over $10 million in salary, bonuses, awards and other forms of compensation that same year.”
Local 776 is the largest Teamsters chapter in Pennsylvania, representing more than 8,500 members across six counties in the commonwealth. While Green Thumb has 18 medical cannabis dispensaries in Pennsylvania, the worker strike is only for the retail facility located at 2139 White St. in York.
“Over the past year, Local 776 and RISE members have been in negotiations for a first contract,” according to Local 776. “The company has refused to move from its offer of a last, best and final contract proposal, which was unanimously rejected by the membership.”
The RISE workers are striking to demand that Green Thumb rescind its “last, best and final offer,” and for the company to negotiate in good faith on a contract that is “deserving of the hard work these RISE members do each and every day.”
The strike in Pennsylvania comes two years after unionized RISE workers at three dispensaries in the Chicago area went on strike under the Teamsters Local 777, claiming unfair labor practices related to the employees wearing pro-union insignia in the workplace, and demanding better wages and retirement benefits. Green Thumb denied the allegations at the time.
That strike lasted for 13 days in April 2023. Green Thumb agreed to raise worker wages by 50%, according to Teamsters representatives in Illinois.
In Pennsylvania, the Local 776 asked community members not to cross the picket line at the RISE dispensary in York and to shop elsewhere.
Cannabis Business Times reached out to Green Thumb and Local 776 representatives for further comment.
