First cannabis labor agreement in state signed in Fulton County

PHOTOGRAPHER: Marc Schultz

CEO Dr. Kyle Kingsley speaks in the grow area of the Vireo Health of New York facility in November 2015.

Medical cannabis company Vireo Health of New York, based in Fulton County, announced recently what they said is the first cannabis industry labor agreement in the state.

The agreement was ratified by members of Local 338 of the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union, which represents all of Vireo’s employees. The agreement covers current and future employees of Vireo Health, which is based in Fulton County’s Tryon Technology Park.

The company also has dispensaries in Albany, Johnson City (near Binghamton), Queens and White Plains.

According to Vireo, the labor agreement is the first in the history of New York’s nascent medical cannabis industry.

“The strong union contract approved by the workers at Vireo will ensure that they have secure, middle-class jobs so that they can provide for themselves and their families,” said John R. Durso, President of Local 338, in a statement. “The workers in this industry are incredibly dedicated to the patients they serve. This agreement provides the peace of mind that will allow them to focus on what matters most: helping those who are suffering and creating quality medicine.”

Vireo Health, LLC, the parent company of Vireo Health of New York, operates subsidiaries in Minnesota and Maryland and said they’re the only medical cannabis company in the country to have partnered with labor in three states.

“As a socially responsible business, we believe that a unionized workforce is good for our bottom line and that this agreement will become a national model for business-labor partnerships in the medical cannabis industry,” said Kyle Kingsley, Vireo Health’s CEO, in a statement. “As we expand into other states, we will continue to work with UFCW affiliates. We know that we can’t be a great company without great employees.”

Reach Gazette reporter Dan Fitzsimmons at 852-9605, [email protected] or @DanFitzsimmons on Twitter.