New York, NY – Vireo Health of New York (“Vireo”) and Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW announced the State’s first medical marijuana union discount program for more than 2.5 million union members and union retirees throughout New York State.
Beginning Labor Day, Monday, September 3rd, union members and union retirees living and working in New York will be eligible for $25 off their first purchase of medical marijuana products and a 10 percent discount on all future purchases at Vireo’s four dispensaries or through the Company’s free home delivery service. Union members will also be provided with educational information about medical marijuana and be invited to participate in tailored workshops.
Vireo was the first medical marijuana company in the state to sign a Collective Bargaining Agreement and all the Company’s products are produced and dispensed by Local 338 members.
“This program is designed to make our products more affordable and to educate New York’s union members about the medicinal benefits of marijuana as an alternative to opioids,” said Ari Hoffnung, Chief Executive Officer of Vireo Health of New York. “Vireo and Local 338 share a deep commitment to ensuring that jobs created by New York’s cannabis industry are well-paying and that employees are treated with dignity and respect.”
“Local 338 has a proud and long history of encouraging its members to shop union, and we are actively encouraging those members certified as medical marijuana patients to only shop at unionized dispensaries, like those managed by Vireo,” said John R. Durso, President of Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW and the Long Island Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO. “We cannot support retailers – supermarkets, pharmacies and dispensaries – that do not offer family sustaining wages and benefits to their employees.”
“The New York State AFL-CIO applauds Vireo Health of New York for its commitment to creating well-paying, solid jobs and for recognizing the importance of working men and women to have a voice in their workplace,” said Mario Cilento, President of the New York State AFL-CIO. “Members of Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW deserve the dignity and respect that goes along with a collective bargaining agreement, and the new partnership with Vireo to provide discounts to union members is yet another example of the many benefits that come with union membership.”
“The partnership between Vireo Health of New York and Local 338 RWDSU will make access to medical cannabis more affordable for union members, enabling eligible workers and their families to enjoy a greater quality of life,” said New York City Central Labor Council President Vincent Alvarez. “The Central Labor Council is pleased to support Vireo Health along with all employers who provide good union jobs with fair wages and meaningful benefits to New York workers.”
Local 338 represents 13,000 retail drug store, pharmacy, supermarket, grocery store and food process/production industry employees across New York State. There are approximately 2.5 million union members living and working in the State.
Vireo’s medical marijuana discount program for union members is one of several discount programs that the company offers to help make medical cannabis more affordable. Vireo provides discounts to lower-income patients who may not otherwise be able to afford medical cannabis and to veterans. Vireo also offers free home delivery, in addition to other limited-time special offers.
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About Vireo Health of New York
Vireo Healthof New York is a physician-led company dedicated to providing best-in-class cannabis-based medications and compassionate care. The Company is a proven leader in the field of medical marijuana. In December 2015,Vireo’s products became the first to be certified Kosher by the Orthodox Union. In addition to brick-and-mortar dispensary locations,Vireolaunched the first medical marijuana home delivery service in the New York City area, now available throughout New York City, Westchester, Rockland, Nassau and parts of Suffolk County. For more information, visithttps://vireohealth.com/ny/.
About Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW
Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW proudly represents more than 13,000 working men and women employed at supermarkets, grocery stores, specialty food stores, assisted living facilities, retail drug stores and pharmacies, and the medical cannabis industry across New York City, Long Island, the Hudson Valley and Upstate New York. For more information, please visit: local338.org, Facebook:/Local338, Twitter:@Local338.
About the New York State AFL-CIO
The New York State AFL-CIO is a federation of 3,000 affiliated public sector, private sector, and building trades unions throughout the state representing 2.5 million members, retirees and their families. Our State Federation, which is the largest and most diverse in the country, is committed to helping working families achieve a better life. For more information on the Labor Movement in New York, visit: nysaflcio.org.
About the New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO
The New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO (NYCCLC) is a non-profit labor membership organization devoted to supporting, advancing and advocating for the working people of New York City. As the nation’s largest regional labor federation, the NYCCLC brings together 300 local unions from every trade, occupation, public and private sector of the New York economy. We represent 1.3 million workers, including teachers, truck drivers, operating engineers, nurses, construction workers, electricians, firefighters, retail workers, janitors, train operators, bakers, and many more who are the backbone of today’s workforce. For more information, please visit:nycclc.org.
About the Long Island Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO
The Long Island Federation of Labor, representing over 250,000 union members and their families, is the voice for the Long Island Labor movement. It includes a wide range of union workers from teachers to technicians, public employees to painters, bus drivers to bricklayers, retail, auto, janitorial, utility, health care and construction workers. The Federation participates in community-based services projects, helps to coordinate volunteers for local union charity drives, and endeavors to give a voice to the voiceless advancing priorities for working people.For more information, please visit:longislandfed.org.