11 of 16 dispensary workers of Restore Integrative Wellness in Elkins Park cast their votes in favor of unionization on June 1.
Union organizers told WHYY News that the company has been hiring anti-union educators and that the managers sent an email to employees pleading with them not to unionize.
The company was “extremely adverse to the idea of their workers unionizing,” said Wendell Young, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union president for Local 1776.
Restore has seen a high turnover of retail workers since the store first opened in 2018. Given that the industry is still illegal at the federal level, it’s been difficult for marijuana dispensaries to stay in the black without common tax deductions afforded to other industries. It follows that providing employees with higher wages, benefits and retirement plans is difficult as well.
The company’s starting wage is $17. Restore has locations in Doylestown, Fishtown, Lancaster, Pottstown, Yeadon, and Glassboro, NJ.
For extensive coverage on the issue, you can read WHYY’s article here. For more on Restore Integrative Wellness, you can visit their Facebook page and website.
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