PORTSMOUTH — The unionized budtenders, keyholders, online orderers and delivery drivers employed at Greenleaf Compassionate Care Center voted unanimously recently to approve its first contract.

According to United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 328, the union for 11,000 Rhode Island and Massachusetts workers, the agreement marked the first collective bargaining agreement for compassion center workers in Rhode Island ahead of recreational sales beginning in December.

The contract includes: 

• immediate wage increases for all employees, including up to 22 percent for employees with one year or more of service.

• additional wage increases in the second year.

• immediate improvement in starting rates for all classifications by over $2 an hour, with an additional increase in the second year.

• paid vacations and improved paid sick time.

• protection of bargaining unit work.

• clothing allowance.

• additional paid holidays.

• protected time-and-a-half pay on Sundays.

• robust grievance procedure and workplace protections.

• newly secured opportunity to earn tips.

• ratification bonus of $1,000.

“This contract sets a tremendous precedent for cannabis workers in Rhode Island, at a time where the industry is undergoing massive changes in preparation for the introduction of recreational sales,” Nicholas Ventetuolo, a delivery driver at Greenleaf and a member of the negotiating committee, said after the vote. “Our contract is a powerful statement on the collective power of a united workforce. The workers at Greenleaf would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to UFCW Local 328 for their unwavering support throughout this entire process.”

Ventetuolo added, “It is our hope that the other compassion centers in our state will take notice of our victory and use it as a motivating factor to begin their own fight for better wages, benefits, and working conditions. We will be ready to stand with them.”

Sam Marvin, director of Organizing at UFCW Local 328, said the contract was the result of a hard-fought victory for Greenleaf workers. 

“Together, they prevailed both at the labor board and at the bargaining table,” he said. “By speaking up and standing together, they have raised the standards here in Rhode Island for cannabis workers. We applaud the workers at Greenleaf for their dedication and commitment to securing this historic victory.”

Background

Greenleaf employees voted 21-1 to join UFCW Local 328 in April 2021. In the following months, UFCW Local 328 filed a multitude of unfair labor practices (ULP) charges with the National Labor Relations Board in response to what it deemed as illegal actions taken by the employer. Additionally, Greenleaf workers went on a one-day strike in June 2021 to protest what they called an unjust termination of a co-worker.  

After investigations, the NLRB determined that Greenleaf Compassionate Care Center violated workers’ rights and issued consolidated complaints against the company detailing numerous violations. Remedies by the NLRB have included back-pay totaling thousands of dollars for employees and the offer of reinstatement for the fired worker. Additional charges remain pending with further remedies expected.