Union files more charges against marijuana MSO Green Thumb

Teamsters Local 777 filed additional Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charges against Chicago-based marijuana multistate operator Green Thumb Industries only weeks after employees went on strike for 13 days.

The union alleged that the company spied on Rise dispensary workers during the strike in a private group on the instant messaging platform Discord, according to a news release.

The Teamsters also alleged that part-time workers who participated in the strike have been losing hours to temporary workers.

Green Thumb responded to the allegations in an emailed statement to MJBizDaily, saying:

“We regret that the Teamsters are choosing to continue their campaign of misinformation, distraction, and delay rather than focus on making progress at the bargaining table.

“We did not surveil our employees’ private communications during the strike, and in fact had no means of doing so.

“We are confident that this baseless allegation will not stand up to scrutiny. In the meantime, we are ready and eager to continue working toward an agreement that meets the needs of our employees and the business.”

Roughly 100 Rise employees went on strike on April 19 after they said they were told by management that they couldn’t wear pro-union buttons.

Alleging union-busting, the Teamsters filed a ULP complaint at the time with the National Labor Relations Board, and contract negotiations broke down.

Peter Finn, the international vice president and food processing division director for the Teamsters’ Western Region, said in a statement that the new charges show Green Thumb hasn’t “learned its lesson.”

“The company’s continued refusal to respect federal law has led them to lose revenue, operational stability, and the trust of their workforce,” Finn said.

“If they keep committing ULPs, we will keep filing charges. The Teamsters will not be broken.”

Kate Robertson can be reached at kate.robertson@mjbizdaily.com.