Workers at an Illinois medical cannabis dispensary have joined a longstanding workers union.
On Wednesday, Teamsters Local 777 announced that cannabis sales consultants and dispensing inventory specialists employees at the Verilife dispensary in Romeoville voted overwhelmingly to unionize.
Employees at Verilife dispensaries in River North and Arlington Heights voted to join Teamsters Local 777 in early November.
Teamsters Local 777, founded in 1937, represents workers in various industries throughout the Chicago area.
Verilife says that the eight dispensaries it has opened in Illinois since legalization make it one of the fastest-growing cannabis companies in the state.
“We are elated that these workers at the Romeoville location have joined their brothers and sisters from Verilife of River North and Arlington Heights in becoming members of our Teamster family,” says Local 777 President Jim Glimco. “Workers who are the backbone of these companies are rising up, and the momentum we have speaks for itself. Let it be known that no matter where you are in Illinois, the cannabis industry is a union industry.”
Chris Smith, a Cannabis Sales Consultant at Verilife Romeoville, says he supports forming a union with the Teamsters because it will make a difference for all workers in the cannabis industry.
Dispensary Inventory Specialize Stephanie Moore says they are writing history in the cannabis industry by forming a union with the Teamsters.
Moore says it is a great opportunity to prepare themselves and future generations for amazing success.
