TOPIC
brooklyn’s 'Gotham dispensaries'
called out for union-busting budtenders
New York has come a long way since deciding to open its doors to the cannabis business. Once plagued by unlicensed pot-shops and sky-high prices, it seems like the state may finally be finding its footing when it comes to cannabis. From Niagra Falls to the Five Boroughs, New York is now home to thousands of mom-&-pop shops, sleek boutiques, and a growing number of familiar chains.
One of those in New York City is Gotham Dispensary - a chic chain of stores that evoke the feeling of Apple Genius Bars and the plant section at Home Depot.
Owned by Joanne Wilson, Gotham Dispensaries - which as of now has three branches throughout the city - are just one step in long career in investment. Though one might assume the name is a direct play on New York’s influence in DC Comics’ portrayal of Gotham, the name actually finds its roots in Wilson’s personal investment firm - Gotham Gal Ventures.
In June 2025, employees of Gotham Dispensary in Williamsburg voted to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) - also known as Local 338. The victory came in a landslide decision of 18-3.
“I wanted to join Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW so that everyone at Gotham would have a collective voice,” said Cara Behar, one of Gotham’s Budtenders. “Unions are the backbone of this country, and their presence is more important now than ever. We’re demanding fair scheduling, equitable treatment of part- and full-time workers, and basic protections. Watching my coworkers be fired for organizing only strengthened our resolve.”
Though now after months of what seems to be deliberate stalling and retaliatory behavior, Local 338 says that Gotham Dispensary maybe committing “one of the worst anti-worker campaigns” Local 338 has ever seen.
Written by Aaryn Indica
In a complaint released in January 2026, Teresa Poor – the Region 29 Director of the National Labor Relations Board - claims that Gotham NYC Management LLC violated the National Labor Relations Act by engaging in deliberate and sustained union-busting tactics.
The complaint itself goes into further detail, claiming that Gotham “has been interfering with, restraining, and coercing employees in the exercise of [their] rights” by enforcing “overly-board rules”, engaging in retaliatory action, and failing to bargain with Local 338.
Details in a report from Law360 provides a clearer picture of Gotham’s alleged abuse of surveillance, unlawful termination, and intimidation on budtenders in attempts to dissuade organizing.
In charges filed by Robert Griffiths Jr, the former employee claims the store’s union-busted tactics began as early as March, over months three prior to the employee’s vote to unionize. Prospective organizers received the impression that their union-related activities were being ‘watched’ by a company manager.
Griffiths claims to have been targeted, describing an event on March 12th in which he was “intimidated, coerced, and verbally harassed” by several higher-ups at Gotham, including the company’s chief operating officer, the vice president of retail, and the head of human resources.
One week later on March 17th 2025, Griffiths was fired by Gotham Dispensaries — a move he believes was motivated by his organizing activities and assisting the union.
According to the claim, intimidation escalated in April when Griffiths then received and cease-and-desist letter in order to enforce the company’s ‘non-disparagement’ policy. The policy, which appears in their employment offer letter, removes budtenders’ rights to “publicly criticize, ridicule, disparage, or defame” Gotham Dispensaries, acting as a soft gag-order for its employees.
Meanwhile, it’s said that in the same month Gotham began interrogating other budtenders and employees on their alignment and opinions on the RWDSU. During these meetings, it’s possible that employees were told that if they selected the union as their representative, the company wouldn’t consider closing the store earlier on Sundays.
The complaint claims that Griffiths was not the only employee to be fired in Gotham’s union-busting campaign, with Cara Behar’s earlier quote — “watching my coworkers be fired” — suggesting that Gotham’s unlawful termination practices goes beyond just Griffiths.
The claim further details another budtender, Chris Palmer, who was allegedly fired in June for warning employees about company retaliation.
It seems Gotham’s union-busting tactics may extend far beyond the four walls of their stores as well.
Since the landslide vote for RWDSU last June, Local 338 claims that Gotham has been displaying a clear unwillingness to bargain with the union, with the company failing to reply to notices and refusing to hand over vital documentation needed for organizing.
Jae W. Chun, general counsel for the union, said in a statement to Law360 that “it’s clear they have no intent on bargaining in good faith with their workers.”
Her next statement is even more telling: “In my two decades of representing unions and membership, this is one of the worst anti-worker campaigns I’ve ever seen.”
To be honest, there’s a part of me that hopes we’re heading towards the weed utopia hippies once spoke of, though that may sound naive. Cannabis is in a new age. The reality of accessible, high quality, and cost-compassionate weed is lightyears closer than it was a two or three decades ago, whether that be through legal dispensaries or online THCA vendors.
The cannabis landscape in America — and across the world — is more colorful and complex than ever before. New dispensaries open every month, new product is hitting the shelves every day. And bigger players are emerging in the industry.
With the rise of MSOs (‘multi-state operators’ - cannabis companies who sell products in multiple legal states) and chain dispensaries, the 2020’s are shaping up to a decade that will make or break the cannabis industry — not just in New York, but in the larger shape of the economic cannabis market as well.
Will legal weed be the hippie paradise we always spoke of? Or will cannabis become another corporate cash crop? The question is not rhetorical.
With the National Labor Relations Board now stepping in on behalf of Local 338, it’s clear that the answer depends on cases like these. But the future is not bleak.
“The solidarity and strength the workers at Gotham displayed over the last six months of this unionization campaign has been nothing short of inspiring,” said Joseph Fontano, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 338 after the win last June.
“They came together to advocate for each other, even in the face of unfair labor practices. This win shows the power of organizing and the vision we had when we helped shape cannabis legalization in New York. We’re proud to welcome Gotham workers into our union family and look forward to winning them a strong first contract.”