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These D.C. Weed Workers Are The First Local Dispensary Employees To Unionize
The dispensary’s 13 employees will enjoy five-year contracts, with three raises baked into their salaries a year.
dcist.com
For the first time in D.C., cannabis dispensary workers ratified a union contract with their employer—a landmark not just for the dispensary’s employees, but also for the city’s nascent marijuana industry.
The employees work for DC Holistic Wellness, a one-year old dispensary located in Ward 7’s Deanwood neighborhood. “I am extremely proud to be a part of this historic moment,” Robert Pizzi, a metric analyst for DC Holistic Wellness, said at a contract signing on Wednesday. “This, in many ways, is one small step for the cannabis industry and a giant leap for workers everywhere.”
Represented by United Food & Commercial Workers Local 400, the dispensary’s 13 employees will enjoy five-year contracts, with three raises baked into their salaries a year, one of which must include an hourly wage raise of 50 cents to $1 every six months. (They’re starting at a base pay of $16 per hour.) The contract also mandates healthcare and retirement benefits.
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Unlike many union contract negotiations, which often see employees fighting against hostile and unwilling bosses, DC Holistic Wellness owner Norbert Pickett actually suggested that his workers pursue unionization.