Avery Anderson, Lead Wellness Advisor

I have been working at Sunnyside* Cincinnati as long as most of you. Before Cresco bought us, we were really like a family, and I miss that I think we all do. I feel that in some ways, different ways, for all of us, we’ve lost sight of that.

 

The number one reason I got into this industry was to help people. That’s the main part of working at Sunnyside* I still enjoy, providing the best quality care to our patients. And if you know me, you know that that will never change, but lately that’s been more difficult than I ever thought it could be. We have all had our own experiences, as far as, how cannabis has helped us overcome struggles and I think we miss sharing that overcoming the struggle experience with patients. However, when we have underlying issues that aren’t addressed, it makes it that much more difficult to relate when we are still feeling like we’re struggling.

 

We have gone through a lot together: curbsides in the summer, sales being rolled out at the last minute without warning,  setting records for patients on a big sale day with no additional staff, just to name a few. The company has put a lot on us and yet we still manage to outdo ourselves almost every day as we continue to break sales records for them as often as we do. It makes it difficult for us to band together and take pride and joy in what we do everyday like we used to when it feels like we are STILL struggling.

 

It’s true, we can’t change how busy we are or the amount of new patients we see week in and week out and it’s only going to continue to grow as the program itself grows. But, some changes, like making a real living wage, having predictable scheduling so we can plan our lives outside of work and spend quality time with our loved ones and designating one of US as a union steward to help address issues as they arise, would give us all some much needed peace of mind.

 

This isn’t someone coming in to tell us what to do or how to do things we’ve already been doing successfully, Cresco has already done that since day one. This is an US thing. This is OUR union. WE negotiate OUR contract. We VOTE on OUR contract. OUR union can help address the issues corporate won’t when they arise and WE will have the ability to find solutions together. We are bringing our grievances to the forefront in a way we may not have been afforded otherwise. Together, WE will actually have a voice, a unified voice, and an opportunity for all of us to come together in a way we never have before to have all our issues addressed and finally made better.

 

Mine isn’t the only story I want you to hear.  In the coming weeks you’ll hear from other members of our union who will share why this is important to them.  You’ll also hear from our partner at the UFCW, Bill Benner, who can talk in more detail about the many benefits of union representation and help answer questions as we go through this process.  We came together to form this union in order to start creating a better tomorrow that allows all of us to grow and learn within this industry that we love. We want to make this place better for each and every one of us in every single aspect we possibly can. Now is our chance to hold corporate, each other, and most importantly ourselves accountable for what we want out of being here.

 

I stated before that I, like most of you, got into this industry to help people. First, we must be willing and able to stay solid for one another.  We can finally stop struggling and start negotiating - if we unite and get back to being a family like we were before. It starts here. It starts with us.
 

 

Avery Anderson