Posts Categorized: Cannabis

On Feb. 14, cannabis workers at the Valley Wellness dispensary in Raritan, N.J., joined UFCW Local 360 for a better life.

The 13 full- and part-time budtenders and leads joined our union family via card check because they were concerned about insufficient wages and benefits and wanted a voice in the workplace. Many of these workers had worked for unionized cannabis facilities before and were well aware of the better wages and benefits that come with a union contract.

Organizers from UFCW Local 360 and other cannabis workers represented by the local met with the workers to discuss the benefits of belonging to our union family. Organizers also attended the grand opening of the store and other events as a way to get to know the workers. UFCW Locals 360 and 152 represent workers at Verano NJ, a medical cannabis company in Branchburg, N.J.

“We wanted to join the UFCW because we know that if we do not stick together, our voices would be drowned out,” said Valley Wellness dispensary worker Matthew Group. “It was important to not only have a voice regarding wages and working conditions, but a true voice in the industry.”

Cannabis workers at Potomac Holistics Medical Dispensary in Rockville, Md., joined UFCW Local 400 on Jan. 11. These workers announced their plans to join UFCW Local 400 in December and voted in favor or unionizing a month later in an election administered by the National Labor Relations Board.

The workers’ organizing committee released the following statement following the vote:

“We are excited to join the growing movement of cannabis workers across the country who have unionized their workplaces. Many thanks to all of our customers and community allies who showed support for us as we embarked on this journey. We know we can count on you as we move forward to the next step in this process: collectively negotiating our first union contract.”

The staff at Potomac Holistics Medical Dispensary are joined by other cannabis dispensaries in the region that have recently unionized with the UFCW. Last August, workers at Zen Leaf in Germantown, Md., joined UFCW Local 400 and are currently negotiating their first collective bargaining agreement. In 2020, workers at MaryMed, LLC in Hurlock, Md., became the first workplace in the state’s cannabis industry to reach an agreement on a union contract with UFCW Local 27. That same year, workers at DC Holistic Wellness became the first dispensary in the nation’s capital to unionize with UFCW Local 400.