GTI/Rise Negotiations Begin

The Union committee and the company have met twice in May. The Union presented their non-economic proposals (see note below) on May 4. The Company, unfortunately, was only prepared to bargain for the retail side. They explained that their other unionized locations have separate contracts for retail and production. While the workers on the committee agree that the jobs at the dispensaries and Cottage Grove have substantial differences, the committee also doesn’t see any reason why things like the layoff and discipline procedures should be different. Additionally, if Cottage Grove negotiated after the retail contract had been agreed to, they would be in a weaker position to negotiate strong language; there would be pressure from the company to accept language given to the retail group. Instead, the committee agreed that anything that applies to everyone should be bargained together (the more workers in a bargaining unit, the stronger their position). The Company was frustrated by this and ended bargaining without any progress, but before the next session the Company acquiesced and on May 19 bargaining finally began in earnest. 

Despite the brief hiccup, a lot of progress was made on the next bargaining day, May 19. The Company presented some very reasonable counters as a starting point, and two articles have been agreed to already. 

While bargaining a first contract can take a significant amount of time, it seems that the Company is committed to bargaining in good faith, and it is anticipated the contract will be completed in the next few months. Contracts with less amenable employers typically take a year or more. Time will tell!

Our next bargaining session is not until July 13th, 14th, and 17th, due to other obligations. Hopefully we will begin to bargain over wages and paid benefits at that time!

Note: When bargaining a contract, it is the preferred practice of the Union to discuss non-economic items first. These are items that do not have a direct cost attached, like grievances, layoff rules, breaks, and scheduling. The reason those items are discussed first, is to avoid winding up in a situation where things that cost money are traded for things that do not. It is better to have agreements on non-economics settled so more focus can be placed on important economic items.