Illinois Cannabis Unions

Workers at a Lakeview weed dispensary owned by the state’s largest cannabis operator became the first in the state to unionize this week.

In a historic first for Illinois, workers at the Sunnyside cannabis dispensary in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood have voted overwhelmingly to unionize.

Across corners of the labor market traditionally without unions, the coronavirus is spurring new interest in organizing for safer workplaces and better pay as the nation embarks on a long economic recovery.

Concerned about their safety on the job as the coronavirus pandemic continues, workers at Chicago-area grocery stores, marijuana dispensaries and other essential businesses are increasingly pushing to unionize.

"In Chicago, 17 percent of city residents, or approximately 461,000 people, live below the poverty line. And that percentage is significantly higher for Chicago neighborhoods and demographics hardest hit by the War on Drugs. Recent reports also show that nearly half...