The cannabis industry is seen as a target for Union expansion

The cannabis industry sees a need for unions as more workers are hired and more states legalize. There is a growing call from workers for better conditions, wages and benefits, and unions are showing interest.

Cannabis continues to bring more money to the US economy. In 2020, the industry grossed between $17.5 and $21.3 billion and provided between 240,000 and 321,000 full-time jobs. It is projected to reach $41 billion by 2026. As more states move forward with legalization, these numbers could be even higher.

And already we are seeing unionization emerging. Chicago’s modern cannabis dispensary was unionized in 2021, and many other companies in the city have done the same. The first cannabis union agreement in Chicago was ratified in March 2022.

“We’re trying to make these careers long-term, not just one that’s a revenue venture,” says Alex Suarez, who works at Modern Cannabis. “I think the momentum of the organization in this country is amazing and we need to keep building that energy.”

Tonya Townsend, who worked at a Green Thumb Industries cannabis facility in Rock Creek, Illinois when they pioneered unionization in 2018 and 2019, saw some backlash to the movement. They failed to unionize as the vote was missed by a margin of 26:30.

“There was a lot of anti-union action. They hired the best union avoidance company in the country,” she says. “We took her on for about a year. It was a lot. It was mental, physical, verbal, daily abuse from these guys – they fought us tooth and nail the whole way. These workers are asking us for help, so this is unusual. We used to look for them and now they come to us. Our phones are constantly ringing with workers who want protection, higher wages, better benefits and accountability from these companies.”

Trade unions are also generally showing an upward trend. Retail has rallied in recent years as 18 out of 26 union elections in 2021 were successful. Most cannabis unions are affiliated with the United Food and Commercial Workers and Teamsters groups, and they’re waging even more union campaigns as more legal states and businesses come online.

“There are a lot of people who have to make a choice between feeding themselves or filling up their car to get to work, which is just mind boggling considering it’s a multi-billion dollar industry,” he says Maddi, who worked at Ayr Wellness in Massachusetts in 2018 before they unionized. She is now an organizer at UFCW Local 1445 in Massachusetts.

Currently, six states have laws that require or encourage labor peace agreements for licensed medical or recreational cannabis businesses.

When recreational cannabis was legalized in New Jersey in February 2021, the law included covenants to protect workers’ unionization efforts. The UFCW represents most cannabis workers.

“We were the first organization and union to come out on top and say this is a valid industry and these workers shouldn’t be treated like criminals,” said Hugh Giordano, organizing director of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 360 in New Jersey . “We hope to reach 100% union density before the conditional licenses for adult use are introduced.”

As of 2021, 500 cannabis industry workers have unionized with the Teamsters.

“As more states legalize recreational cannabis, we can’t let them just make more minimum-wage jobs available,” said Teamsters President Sean O’Brien. “We demand careers supported and secured by Teamster contracts.”

To date the industry is literally growing as we speak and with an increase in union activity along with this growth means we will see more unions springing up in the future.