ASCEND WELLNESS STRIKE ENDS AFTER WORKERS APPROVE FIRST UNION CONTRACT

BARRY, ILLINOIS — The 36-day strike at the Ascend Wellness cannabis cultivation and processing facility in Barry has ended after employees overwhelmingly approved their first collective bargaining agreement.

Teamsters Local 916 representatives said all 279 eligible and available union members participated in the ratification vote. The agreement was approved by a vote of 224 to 55, meaning just over 80 percent of those casting ballots supported the contract.

More than 300 union members walked off the job June 25 during what the Teamsters characterized as an unfair labor practice strike. The employees cultivate, process, package and distribute cannabis products from the Barry facility to dispensaries throughout Illinois.

Workers had been negotiating with Ascend for more than a year before the strike began. The union said the primary issues included wages, employee health-insurance costs, overtime provisions and workplace protections. Teamsters representatives also accused the company of failing to bargain in good faith and retaliating against a member of the union’s bargaining committee. An unfair labor practice charge involving the Barry operation remains listed as open with the National Labor Relations Board.

Specific financial and benefit provisions contained in the newly approved contract have not yet been publicly released. The union’s announcement also did not specify exactly when all striking employees would return to their regular jobs.

The Barry facility began operating as a medical-cannabis cultivation center in 2015 and was acquired by Ascend Wellness Holdings in 2018. The labor action was described by the Teamsters as the union’s first strike at a cannabis cultivation facility.