About 60 New England Treatment Access, LLC (NETA) workers in Franklin, Mass., voted to join UFCW Local 1445 on July 1. NETA is the largest commercial cannabis cultivation facility on the East Coast.
The workers, who voted to unionize through written authorization cards supervised by the Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations, joined our union family because they were concerned about wages, benefits and workplace safety.
“We work hard and we love what we do,” said Basil Cahill, a cultivator at NETA. “Our focus was always to make sure we had a safe workplace and the good wages and benefits we need to support our families. Working together with our union, I know we will be able to build a better life for all of us at NETA.”
“As the cannabis industry continues to grow, the UFCW is proud to support these good jobs and the responsible employers that empower their workers in this new part of our economy,” said UFCW Local 1445 President Fernando Lemus. “Workers at NETA are a critical part of the success of the company and they have earned and deserve the security of a union at their workplace.”
“We are excited to work collaboratively with NETA on behalf of the workers in Franklin, and look forward to building on this partnership to support and invest in their workers in locations across Massachusetts,” added Lemus. “Together, we can ensure that these cannabis jobs are the good jobs that Massachusetts communities need.”