Chicago’s Teamsters Local 777 on Thursday filed additional Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charges against Green Thumb Industries (GTI), the parent company of RISE dispensaries, after the workers embarked upon a 13-day strike and claim the company spied on them by reading messages in a private Discord server and diverted hours from part-time employees who participated in the strike, giving them to temporary workers.
In a statement, Jim Glimco, Local 777 president said the union is “disappointed, but not surprised, by this latest turn of events.”
“This is the same employer that has lied repeatedly to both its staff and the general public about its conduct. We hoped for GTI to change its behavior but hope and expectation are two very different things.” — Glimco in a press release
The nearly two-week strike is the longest unfair labor practices strike at a cannabis retailer in U.S. history, the union said.
Peter Finn, Teamsters Western Region International vice President and Food Processing Division director, added that GTI’s “continued refusal to respect federal law has led them to lose revenue, operational stability, and the trust of their workforce.”
“Unfortunately, this is not a company that has learned its lesson,” Finn said in a statement. “If they keep committing ULPs, we will keep filing charges.”
In an email to MJBizDaily, GTI said it regrets that the union is “choosing to continue their campaign of misinformation, distraction, and delay rather than focus on making progress at the bargaining table.” The company denied the spying claims, saying it “had no means of doing so.”
“We are confident that this baseless allegation will not stand up to scrutiny,” the company said in the email to MJBizDaily. “In the meantime, we are ready and eager to continue working toward an agreement that meets the needs of our employees and the business.”
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