Greenleaf bosses fold, meet union demands in Portsmouth
By Steve Ahlquist in UpRiseRI
In an unqualified victory or labor rights, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local Union 328, representing 11,000 Rhode Island and Massachusetts workers, today announced a victory for Greenleaf Compassionate Care Center employees in Portsmouth, Rhode Island after the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) completed their investigation.
UFCW
Local 328 had filed charges with the NLRB against Greenleaf Compassionate Care
Center for violating workers’ rights, including the termination of employee and
bargaining committee member Ben Telford, the elimination of employee
discounts during a 6-week period, the elimination of the Friday lunch program,
and transfer of bargaining unit work to a new classification. Additional
charges included interrogation, surveillance and disparagement of employees for
their union activity. After an investigation, the NLRB issued complaints on
each of these charges against Greenleaf.
Just
a day before the trial was set to take place, Greenleaf offered to settle on every
complaint.
The
agreed to settlement includes:
- Back pay for employees during a six-week period the company did not extend their employee discount to eligible union voters;
- Back pay for employees affected by the company’s elimination of the Friday lunch program for the past 25 weeks;
- The immediate reinstatement of the Friday lunch program;
- The offer of reinstatement to employee Ben Telford, who was illegally terminated by the company in June, with compensation of full back pay for wages, interest and additional compensation;
- The immediate restoration and protection of bargaining unit work for keyholders; and,
- A signed commitment by the company to not interfere with employees’ rights under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act, to not disparage, surveil, discipline or discharge workers for their union activity, to not create new positions to avoid collective-bargaining obligations, to not transfer work to managers or other employees because of their union activity, and a commitment to bargain in good faith with UFCW Local 328.
“We are pleased with the results of the investigations from the National Labor Relations Board and the signed commitments we secured in this settlement agreement. We would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to the NLRB for their hard work during the investigation of numerous labor complaints that were filed against our employer,” said Greenleaf employees in a statement.
“While we
should not have had to experience these unfair labor practices to begin with,
it was extremely reassuring to know that we as workers had a formal means of
recourse when our employer committed these infractions. While forming a union
can be a challenging and arduous process, we know that it is one of the few
options we have as workers to create a more stable and predictable
future.
“We
encourage workers to continue to organize with each other both within
individual companies and across the industry,” continued Greenleaf employees.
“We want to thank UFCW Local 328 for all of its continued support and the
resources we’ve been given through this process. We look forward to continuing
to build a healthier and secured future for all of us at Greenleaf by
completing our first union contract in the near future.”
As
the Rhode Island General Assembly moves to legalize the use of recreational
marijuana in the coming year, labor organizing will be key to ensuring that
workers get a good share of the profits. Over a year ago Ocean State
Cultivation Center (OSCC) employees unionized with UFCW, setting an
important precedent for the expanding medical marijuana industry in Rhode
Island.
“As
this industry grows, so does our need to make sure our best interests are taken
into consideration,” said Matthew Baryshyan, who works in cultivation at
OSCC. “We now have better wages, a pension plan, full benefits, vacation time,
and the list goes on. The UFCW is making sure there is a future in cannabis and
it’s a bright one.”
The
employees at Greenleaf held a one-day
strike on June 26, 2021, to protest the illegal firing of Ben
Telford, a keyholder who was illegally terminated for his union activity. With
this settlement agreement, Greenleaf has offered Telford reinstatement to his
position and will compensate him with full back pay for all lost wages,
interest and additional compensation.
UpriseRI
spoke with Telford at that strike:
“We
are proud of the workers at Greenleaf for standing together to achieve this
victory,” said Sam Marvin, Director of Organizing at UFCW Local 328. “It
is critical that employers are held accountable when they break the law and
violate workers’ rights. This settlement represents a significant achievement
for Greenleaf workers in their pursuit for justice and fairness at their
workplace, and we look forward to continuing to work together to build the
futures they all have earned.”