Cannabis growers unionize at The Cannabist’s Vineland facility
Employees at a cultivation and production facility in South Jersey are the latest group of workers in New Jersey’s cannabis industry to unionize.
According to United Food and Commercial Workers Local 152, a dozen cultivators at The Cannabist’s grow site in Vineland voted in September to organize as members of the union, which represents more than 14,000 workers in numerous sectors – including cannabis – across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland.
In certifying the results of the vote Oct. 6, the New Jersey State Board of Mediation designated Local 152 as the workers’ union, allowing the two sides to begin contract negotiations.
In a statement, Local 152 President Brian String said, “We are proud to represent these cannabis cultivators. We take seriously their trust in our union. We will ensure their voice is heard and their hard work is respected.”
The cultivators – who are seeking wage increases and improvements to their working environment, including training and increased access to protective equipment – will continue to meet with the union as it drafts contract proposals and schedules bargaining dates with the company, String said.
New York-based The Cannabist – which last month rebranded from Columbia Care – operates 128 facilities, including 94 dispensaries and 31 cultivation/manufacturing sites, in 16 states.
Workers at the MSO’s two dispensaries in New Jersey – Deptford and Vineland – have also organized, with employees voting over the summer to ratify their first-ever labor contract.
New Jersey’s law enabling recreational cannabis sales, enacted in April 2022, included a provision requiring companies to negotiate in good faith if employees sought union representation.
Subsequently, workers at several cannabis companies – including Ascend, Valley Wellness, Harmony Dispensary, Verano and Ayr Wellness – have unionized.
The latest organizing win follows another successful cannabis-related drive by Local 152 earlier this year at an MPX facility in Pleasantville. The local also recently negotiated contracts for workers at Acreage Holdings-owned The Botantist dispensaries in Egg Harbor and Atlantic City.
“As our Cannabis Division grows, so does our strength at the bargaining table,” String said. “A fair contract and fair treatment for cannabis workers is possible in New Jersey and beyond.”
