Budtenders at Columbus, Ohio Dispensary First in State to Join Teamsters

Budtenders at Strawberry Fields in Columbus, Ohio last week voted to join Teamsters Local 413, becoming the first in the state to join the union.

In a statement Tony Jones, Teamsters International vice president at large and president of Local 413, said “This is the first of many proprietors” the union will be organizing in the state, “especially now that recreational cannabis is legal.”

“These workers are an amazing group of people who stood strong in spite of the company running a nasty anti-union campaign. I have no doubt that the tenacity, bravery, and solidarity they demonstrated during the lead up to the election will serve them well when we start negotiations.” — Jones in a press release

Estlin Hiller, a budtender at Strawberry Fields, called the vote “a huge moment for the Teamsters, Ohio, the labor movement, the cannabis community, and especially us.”

“By unanimous decision, after months of hard work by everyone involved, we won,” Hiller said in a statement. “We are ecstatic about this outcome, immensely proud of one another, and looking forward to bargaining our first contract. Strawberry Fields united, solidarity forever.”

Peter Finn, Teamsters Western Region International vice president and food processing division director, added that the success of the effort “is a clear message to the Ohio cannabis industry: workers demand and deserve respect.”

“This is just the beginning,” he said in a statement. “We’re on a mission to transform this industry one contract at a time, with sustainable, middle-class careers.”

The vote included 95% of eligible workers participating.