EMPLOYEES AT RISE DISPENSARY in Warwick voted to unionize and join United Food and Commercial Workers Local 328. / COURTESY RISE DISPENSARY
WARWICK – Workers at another local cannabis dispensary have agreed to unionize.
The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 328 announced Tuesday that personal care specialists at RISE Dispensary voted 50-6 in favor of forming a union. In a media statement, Local 328 says the 76 RISE Dispensary employees organized with a focus on gaining higher wages, improving benefits and securing workplace protections.
Local 328 says the RISE Dispensary employees started to organize back in May after Green Thumb Industries acquired the former Summit Medical Compassion Center – now RISE Dispensary – two years ago. Local 328 Director of Organizing Michael Santos told Providence Business News Tuesday that Green Thumb Industries changed multiple aspects of the work environment and the patient experiences within Summit Medical after acquiring the company.
“They made it almost like an Apple store-ish where everything is done through a kiosk. You don’t have much one-on-one interaction anymore,” Santos said. “They just rush you in and rush you out.”
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Santos also said workers were losing hours and claimed Green Thumb Industries