Members of UFCW Local 1776KS who work at Vireo Health’s Pennsylvania Medical Solutions in Scranton, Pa., ratified a first union contract on Oct. 2. Pennsylvania Medical Solutions is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Vireo, a leading physician-led, science-focused, multistate cannabis company.
The three-year agreement includes several provisions that will benefit Vireo employees. The contract provides employees with competitive starting wages, access to affordable and high-quality health care, guaranteed annual wage increases, a generous paid time off program, and an employer-funded retirement plan. It also includes comprehensive safety provisions and anti-discrimination language and establishes sound procedures for grievance and arbitration matters.
The agreement marks the first vertically-integrated medical cannabis union contract ratified in Pennsylvania, and will cover employees working in Vireo’s Scranton-based, state-of-the-art 89,000 square-foot manufacturing facility that supplies precisely formulated medical marijuana products to third-party dispensaries throughout the state. The agreement also includes employees that will work at Vireo dispensaries planned for Scranton, Bethlehem, and Stroudsburg.
“This is a fantastic contract for our members and a great win for the future of all workers in the cannabis industry,” said UFCW 1776KS President Wendell Young IV. “I am very proud of the role that UFCW has played in helping to bring collective bargaining to the cannabis industry and help create good-paying jobs in Pennsylvania. I want to thank our union bargaining committee and Vireo Health for their hard work on this contract.”
