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[PRESS RELEASE] – COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 15, 2025 – Cannabis dispensary workers have been forced to go on strike at Herbal Wellness Center in Columbus to protest the company’s unfair labor practices (ULPs) and secure a fair contract.
“There’s no reason the employer can’t provide these workers with what they’re demanding – annual wage increases, seniority, and protection from unjust discipline,” said Tony Jones, President of Teamsters Local 413. “These are standards that employers have agreed to not just at dispensaries, but everywhere that the Teamsters have a contract.”
The workers organized with Local 413 in 2023 when the dispensary was known as Strawberry Fields. The operation was later bought by Vext Science, which has since gone to extreme lengths to avoid bargaining in good faith. The company petitioned the National Labor Relations Board for a re-run election after its acquisition, a request that was denied.
“Vext Science’s stall tactics are an insult to everyone at this dispensary,” said Kismet Royce, lead budtender and a member of the Local 413 negotiating committee. “My co-workers and I are stronger than we’ve ever been, and we’ll be out on strike for as long as it takes to get a fair contract.”
This is the second strike that Cannabis Teamsters have launched in less than two months. Since September, Teamsters Local 776 members have been on a ULP strike at a Green Thumb Industries (GTI) location in York, Pa.
“Vext has chosen to make their business less stable by refusing to bargain fairly with our members,” Teamsters Food Processing Division Director Jesse Case said. “Instead of hiring scabs, they need to prioritize bargaining in good faith toward a first contract.”
Teamsters Local 413 represents workers in a wide variety of industries throughout central Ohio. For more information, go to teamsters413.com.
