Oregon Voters Approve Protections for Cannabis Worker Unions

Oregon voters on Tuesday passed Measure 119, which aims to protect the rights of cannabis workers in the state to join unions, OregonLive reports. The measure passed with about 55% of voters in support and 45% opposed.

The campaign behind the ballot initiative was organized by the United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) labor union after Oregon lawmakers considered but failed to adopt similar reforms earlier this year. Ultimately, lawmakers dropped the issue because state Rep. Paul Hovey (D) said the bill would likely violate federal law, so UFCW spent $2.24 million on a signature-gathering campaign to pose the question to voters.

“Workers across every industry should have the freedom to unionize if they so choose,” UFCW Local 555 President Dan Clay said previously about Measure 119. “This ballot measure closes an age-old loophole that deprives that right to thousands of Oregon cannabis workers. Shady cannabis tycoons have taken advantage of an outdated law to strip workers’ rights that are guaranteed to nearly every other American.”