Unions

New York lawmakers passed a bill to let hemp cultivators and processors obtain early conditional licenses for the state’s adult-use cannabis program.

Virginia Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin (R) said in a recent interview he will not seek to overturn the adult-use cannabis law signed by his predecessor but will look to adjust certain elements of the program, including a “forced unionization” clause.

Employees at three March and Ash dispensaries in the greater San Diego area voted last week to join United Food and Commercial Workers Local 135.

Workers at the Greenleaf Compassionate Care Center in Portsmouth, Rhode Island have voted to join the UFCW Local 328.

The National Labor Relations Board ruled that, under federal restrictions, most cannabis industry workers cannot form unions because they are considered agricultural workers.

The UFCW California chapter and Have-a-Heart dispensaries in Oakland and Santa Cruz have reached a back pay settlement of $75,000 for workers who missed out on union raises.

The National Labor Relations Board has ruled that the majority of workers at a cannabis cultivation/processing facility are considered “agriculture laborers” under federal law — in some states, such as Massachusetts, this opens up cannabis workers to unionizing under state law.

Employees at the 100% Black-owned and operated Cannabliss dispensary unanimously voted last week to become the first in Washington DC to unionize.

Dispensary workers at Sira Naturals in Massachusetts became the first in the state to unionize after workers there ratified a Collective Bargaining Agreement with UFCW, Local 1445.

Cannabis workers at Cultivate Holdings, a vertically integrated cannabis company in Massachusetts, have voted to join the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1445.

Cannabis workers at Mayflower Medicinals in Holliston, Massachusetts have voted to unionize citing concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, management inconsistencies, and a lack of adequate healthcare coverage.

Budtenders at Clarity Cannabis in British Columbia have become the first cannabis dispensary workers in Canada to join a union.

Labor unions have identified the cannabis industry as an opportunity to boost membership and are pushing for progressive cannabis reforms that emphasize equity and fair labor practices.

Cannabis industry workers at Green Thumb Industries in Rock Island, Illinois have unionized amid accusations of unfair labor practices, harassment, retaliation, and unlawful intimidation.